Perfect Machine
by DarkHanami
Summary: During a routine check up at the labs Sephiroth feels a faint connection. He locates the source, which happens to be Cloud. He decides to strengthen this bond, and that's when things get weird.
1. Faintest Connection

It was another standard check up with Hojo. Something that Sephiroth often avoided until last minute. Eventually he would run out of missions to accomplish and nothing can excuse him from the dreaded routine. Which lead the general to get it over and done with as quickly as possible.

Sephiroth entered the laboratory, already wishing time would travel for the usual headaches after these visits. Even if some lasted for days on end after, he would rather take that pain over the initial check up itself. He loathed the poking, prodding, and the all too personal questions Hojo frequently asked.

Just as he entered, he noticed something off.

It wasn't a drastic change of the labs. No, there was a nagging tug in the back of his mind. Sephiroth paused, focusing on the feeling. If he were to give it a name, he would say that something or someone was calling out to him. But through his mind.

The general frowned, as this was unusual and not entirely sane if he were to explain this feeling to anyone, even Zack. However, he would believe that Zack would have told him to follow the feeling, anyways. Maybe it was his gut telling him something.

So without further hesitation Sephiroth made a different turn. Hojo would wait. A part of him was finding any excuse he can find to prolong the routine. Largely he was curious. He had never felt such a strong pull to any sort of direction. And somehow, he couldn't explain how or why, but this was different than from his instincts in the field of battle.

Instead of debating in his head what this was, Sephiroth focused on locating the source. A turn here, a turn there. Odd, he had never seen this part of the labs before. Mainly due to the fact he absolutely refused to venture from the main path to his routine check ups. Soon as they were over he was quick to make a dash to either his desk or personal suite on his own floor, depending on how tired he felt afterwards.

A few more turns, he was beginning to wonder how he could maneuver in this maze so easily. But again he pushed aside the logical part of his brain to focus on the source of all this strange occurrence. Along the way he made mental note of his turns for an internal map so he wouldn't get lost.

Soon the feeling grew in intensity. He was close now. How he knew he had no idea, but Sephiroth was eager. Determined to find the source, his steps were a little quicker now.

Then he made a turn, and his eyes came across a figure inside a glass tube full of mako.

The substance was glowing brightly. He stepped closer for a better look. It was a blonde young man, dressed in the recruit uniform. He was young, younger than Zack, he assumed. There was still baby fat in his cheeks, whereas his lieutenant had just grown out of his innocence. The hair was a wild array of spikes. At least Zack had his in order, leaving a strand of one bang over his forehead. This young man's went in every direction.

Was this really the source behind the calling? There was no other explanation. All of the other tubes were empty. Nothing but this young man as the source behind this strange event. Sephiroth stared, pondering what he should do.

Take him back to his suite, or leave him to the devices of Hojo? He grimaced. He knew well how far Hojo would go in the name of science. That man knew no bounds, no remorse, all for his research. Nothing would stand in his way for the answer he sought. Then once he found it, and the source material most likely destroyed, were simply thrown out.

And suddenly there was a possessiveness that came over him.

_I will not let him remain here._

There was a connection between them. Somehow, some way. Maybe Hojo had infused the young man with more than mako? As in, maybe Sephiroth's own genetic make up? He didn't understand why he came to that conclusion, but it was the only one that made sense.

Nevertheless Sephiroth found the control pad and pressed to drain the mako. He watched as the young man gently sunk to the bottom. He didn't even stir at the change of gravity. Sephiroth was beginning to suspect the young man was undergoing mako poisoning. It wouldn't surprise him considering where he found this strange recruit.

Once the glowing liquid was gone Sephiroth entered the code to lift the glass cage. After it was all the way up he reached out to the limp body. The general checked for a pulse just in case, and to his relief found one. The simple touch left a tingling sensation, even through his glove. Yes, this young man had to be the source somehow.

With more determination he embraced the young man gently and lifted him up bridal style. At the movement the blonde man nuzzled into his chest like a cat. His breath and heartbeat were even, indicating he was still asleep. For some reason Sephiroth became more protective over his charge at that notion.

He noted how light the cadet was. Sephiroth made a mental note to help raise his weight in the future. First, he had to bring him back to his suite.

The walk back to the entrance was uneventful. That was until he was steps away from the exit. Hojo must have left the examination room to search for him. Sephiroth stopped, not all concerned about being caught red handed.

"And what, pray tell, do you plan on doing with that subject?" Hojo studied the cadet in his arms curiously.

"He's being placed under my care." There was no point in lying. No secret was safe from this man.

"Oh? Why the sudden need to take care of it? That subject is due for termination."

"Termination? For what exactly?" Sephiroth was not going to allow this.

"That subject has been deemed a failure. Therefore, no reason to remain under my research." Hojo said nonchalantly.

"Then all the more reason for him to be under my care. Failure or not, he called out to me in his sleep. There is something about him that makes him different from your other, 'subjects'," The general refused to budge.

"Hm. He called out to you, you say? How?"

"It was some kind of mental tug. I followed the direction to the source, and found him." He honestly didn't know how else to explain it.

"And you never felt this before?" Hojo was skeptical.

"Not until I came to the laboratory. Maybe it's a close proximity of some sort."

"Interesting." Hojo muttered to himself, eyes studying the unconscious figure.

For a moment Sephiroth thought the man would refuse him. He silently cursed at his inability to bring forth his sword. As skilled as he was, even he would have trouble wielding it while carrying an unconscious individual. No matter how light the nameless cadet was.

"Very well, then. I suppose we all need a hobby." Hojo shrugged with a sigh. "But, if you manage to nurse the subject back to health, then I expect a routine examination. If there is something different about him, I would like to identify what it is that makes you go to drastic measures."

"I suppose that's a deal?" Sephiroth knew there was no means of a compromise.

"Hurry up with it and get back to me for the examination. I'm behind schedule as it is." Hojo turned and made his way towards the dreaded room, hands behind his back.

A sense of relief flooded the general. Relief that he was allowed to keep his charge, but also because he prolonged the routine check up. Even if for half an hour longer. It was still worth it.

xXx

After the examination, Sephiroth had an intense migraine. Hojo must have saved his anger over his radical change of behavior for the routine. He noticed how the needles hurt a little more going in, and a few hurt when they were pulled out. That wasn't the worst part.

The unrelenting questions were unbearable.

It was more of an interrogation that could rival a Turk's ability to make anyone cave in and talk. Sephiroth wasn't too sure if that or whatever strange injection was at the end the cause of his migraine. All he knew was that it wasn't mako, although it was mako infused. But the glow wasn't as bright and intense in comparison to the previous injections.

It certainly wasn't the pure form, either.

Not even Hojo would dare risk his life to inject him with the pure, unfiltered substance. He had inquired what it was, however Hojo didn't incline a full answer. Sephiroth wondered if he should have even bothered to ask at all. It's not like Hojo to ever inform him whatever was in the needle. It reduced the amount of Sephiroth putting up a fight about it. Rebuttling the fire within him to raise a hand to the man.

If he didn't know what it was, then it was probably for his own sanity to not know.

He learned that lesson at a very young age. A memory he would rather not remember.

Even so, the migraine was too intense for him to review reports that have been sitting on his desk for days on end. So he opted for a nap at his suite in the hopes to dull the migraine. This decision had nothing to do with the fact his charge was currently in his bed.

Not even halfway his pager rang. The sound made him grimace. Sephiroth had forgotten to change it to silence mode. He checked the caller ID, grumbling to himself. It was Zack. He knew better than to ignore his lieutenant when he was in one of his moods. He noted the amount of texts he received before hand.

"Yes, Zack." He answered coldly.

"Uh, oh. Sounds like someone isn't having a good day."

"Since when is a routine check up ever a good day?" Sephiroth commented.

"Right. So uh, what's the symptoms today? Do you need me to come over and help? Nothing blinding you like that one time?"

"Don't remind me." Sephiroth hated that incident. He was left blinded for almost two days after a check up once. He had to call in the help of his lieutenant just to cook and eat. Never had the general felt so vulnerable.

"And no, just a bad migraine."

"Oh, one of those huh? Need me to bring me some medicine to help?"

"Why so persistent to come over?" Something about his lieutenant was off.

"I.. Look, to be honest, I'm trying not to have a panic attack. I kinda need a friend."

"And I'm your only option?" Not that Sephiroth minded, but there was only so much he could handle after an examination.

"Well, I kinda need your help. As in, your ability to access all information regarding recruits."

"You couldn't ask Lazard?"

"I already did. The file says my friend is on scheduled break. Only, the recruits aren't on a scheduled break. I tried his phone, but nothing. His bunk buddies haven't seen him for a while, either. They assumed he quit."

_This was peculiar indeed._

Although, this was oddly lining up. It couldn't be a coincidence. When it concerned ShinRa Corp, there were no coincidences. It wouldn't surprise him Hojo had a clever means to cover his tracks, washing his hands off any connection between himself and a missing recruit.

"All right. If you make your special teas then you can come. Although, I suspect that this...friend is safe. You said he's a recruit?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Because I found a recruit in Hojo's lab. I took him under my care."

"Wait, hold on! He actually let you take him? What does he look like? Is he okay? Did you get a name?"

Sephiroth silently berated himself. He had meant to get a name out of Hojo during the check up routine. But the man had been unrelenting the entire time that he couldn't find the right moment to make any inquiries.

"Slow down. I don't have a name. And yes, Hojo allowed it on the premise I can raise him back to health. I suspect mako poisoning."

By now Sephiroth was close to his floor. He relished a few seconds of momentary silence on the line. The migraine was still intense. However, it seemed to dull little by little the closer he got to his suite.

"The fuck? You serious? I... I mean, course you are. You don't make jokes. Um, what does he look like?"

"Wild blonde hair. Scrawny. Younger than you by a few years if his face is anything to go by." His sensitive ears caught a gasp from his lieutenant.

"Oh my God. That's Cloud! I can't believe this... I'm on my way right now! I've been so worried! I knew something was up when he was listed to go on my last mission, but he didn't show. Fuck, man. If I had known..."

_So his name was Cloud._

Finally, he had a name. Sephiroth repeated it in his head a couple of times. Yes, the name quite fit the recruit. If only he could have a look into those eyes and see what color they were. Then the general wondered why he was curious in the first place. Maybe it had something to do with this weird connection.

"You couldn't have known. Hojo would have guarded the secret tightly. It's not your fault, Zack." Sephiroth wasn't the best at reassuring people. He was too realistic.

"Yeah..." His lieutenant's voice was strained, as if he were about to cry. Just as he guessed he heard a sniffle.

"I'll be there in a giffy. I'll even put my all into my tea for your migraine."

"I'll hold you to that." Sephiroth entered his suite, relief ebbed into his muscles at the idea he could finally relax.

"And Seph?" There was slight hesitation.

"Hm? Yes, Zack?" The general was almost distracted by being within the same vacinity of Cloud. Being close by had taken an edge off the migraine, but not enough for him to consider heading towards his desk.

"Thanks." He could hear the gentle sobs Zack was trying his best to hide. Sephiroth had too sensitive of ears to not hear them.

"You're welcome." He didn't feel comfortable to inform his lieutenant that he didn't do this for his friend. Sephiroth was beginning to wonder how he was getting better at socializing. Normally he would have said something similar, even if it it was insensitive. He was used to always inform others the entire truth.

Maybe this was all Cloud's doing. And he wasn't even awake yet. Whatever the case, Cloud was his charge. And to his luck Zack was eager to help nurse him back to health. Which was in itself a relief, Sephiroth wasn't sure how to go about nursing someone at this stage of a mako induced coma.


	2. Background Check

To say Zack was emotional was an understatement. Soon as he arrived, he quickly checked on Sephiroth's charge in the bedroom. Feeling like this was too personal to be a shadow, the general opted to make the kitchen ready for Zack's return.

Some minutes later his lieutenant appeared, cheeks stained from tears. He was sniffling, wiping away the evidence. Sephiroth was grateful that Zack was at least attempting to hold it together. He wasn't the best on how to help others when they cry.

"That is him, I take it." It wasn't a question.

"Yeah... I'm trying to wrap my head in all of this, Seph. I mean, before the mission, I knew he had some trouble. Nothing that would lead me to think Hojo was involved in his disappearance."

"Hm. What kind of trouble was he in?"

"Well, I know he was doing decent in Basics. He wasn't that good with materia, and he mentioned that he was often feeling sick from being sensitive to the mako injections."

"That wouldn't be enough for Hojo to single him out." Sephiroth thought.

"No. Not really. It's why I don't understand how or why this happened. Does Hojo always go around kidnapping recruits?"

"Not that I am aware. Then again, I don't usually investigate where he gets his test subjects from. I assumed they were all voluntary. Or they were already dead and signed up to be donated in the name of science and research." Sephiroth could only recall where Hojo got the donated bodies from. But now he suspected not all were brought to him by legal means.

"This is... Bad." Zack was still processing all of this. "So...um, how did you find him again?"

"... I was pulled to him. Something was calling out to me when I entered the labs for the routine check up. I followed the feeling and found him." Sephiroth was hesitant, but knew his lieutenant wouldn't fully believe him if he simply said he wandered around the labs out of necessity to prolong the process. Zack knew he despised being on that floor at any length of time.

"Huh... So you saying something's special between you two? Some kind of connection that drew you to him?" Zack guessed.

"Yes. I don't know what kind of connection. I just knew I couldn't leave him there." Although his lieutenant was his friend, he was going to leave out the part he learned that Cloud was scheduled for termination. The last thing they needed was Zack going AWOL like Genesis.

"Then... Thanks. I know I said it before, but a million more thanks."

"No problem. By the way, do you happen to know where he's from?" Maybe Cloud's past would indicate Hojo's curiosity.

"Yeah, he said he was from Nibelheim."

_Nibelheim? Now that was unusual. _

The locals there rarely ever ventured out of that village. Sephiroth had never been there, but he recalled the tiny village in the middle of nowhere on the other side of Mt. Nibel, the closest settlement of Rocket Town. He had seen it on maps occasionally, whenever his missions brought him to Rocket Town. Which were few and far between. And what he heard from the locals, the people of Nibelheim were a strange lot.

"Hm. I'll see if I can pull up his record for more clues as to why Hojo showed an interest in him. Otherwise, I have no idea as to why he's in this state." Sephiroth had to say something to help ease his lieutenant's worries.

"Thanks, Seph. I can't stop saying that. Anyways! Want some of that tea? I'll get it going for you."

"That would be a relief." Sephiroth needed anything that could help him with the migraine.

xXx

Sephiroth was grateful that Zack didn't ask to take care of Cloud. Then again, Zack was rarely at his own suite. Always away on missions if he wasn't training recruits. Since Angeal's death, Zack had become more withdrawn and too ready to go from mission to mission without much time in between. At some point Sephiroth might have to pull rank and have his lieutenant on a vacation leave. It would be considered bad if Lazard couldn't even coax Zack into longer breaks.

Although he might not have to use drastic measures. With Cloud in his care, Zack might be more opted to stick around longer as a means to help. Sephiroth assumed that, while his charge was in a coma, Zack would be more hesitant to take up difficult missions. So for now the general can hold off on the forced vacation.

Sephiroth pulled out his phone. With a few buttons he found the contact he wanted and pressed the call button.

"General Sephiroth, how may I assist you?" Lazard was polite as always.

"I would like to make a request of a file on a recruit."

"All right. What's the name?"

"Cadet Cloud Strife." Zack had informed him of his charge's full name.

"Okay? Does this have anything to do with Zack's concern over his missing friend?" He was quick to connect the dots. Not that Sephiroth would have assumed otherwise.

"In a way, yes. He informed me of his worries today. I just want to cover any missing links he wouldn't have access to." For Cloud's safety, it was better to keep his whereabouts under wraps until he woke up from his coma.

"Would you like me to send it to your desk, or are you going to pick it up?" Lazard offered the choices.

"Actually, I'll be on my way." Sephiroth didn't want any curious eyes from the Turks. However, with their ties to Hojo, nothing remained a secret. He wouldn't be surprised if Hojo already informed of them to keep an eye on him.

"See you then, general."

Sephiroth sighed after he hung up. He had hoped to remain on his floor for the remainder of the day. But his curiosity to learn more about Cloud made him restless. If he was going to take care of his charge, at least he should learn as much as he could from the file.

A short time later Sephiroth was sitting at his desk. While he would rather return to his suite, Lazard had lectured him about the amount of paperwork that required his attention. So with reluctance the general relented into attempting to reduce the amount of work needed to be done. These days he was glued to his desk more than in the field. This was another reason he would be grateful for Zack to reduce his mission time, to allow Sephiroth to be granted to be sent out more often.

Soon as he was in his chair the first file he opened up was Cloud's. Despite his work load, Sephiroth couldn't contain his curiosity any longer. He began to read through, eyes scanning for anything unusual.

Cloud didn't have any outstanding marks. If anything, he was just above the average bar to not be sent back home. The only thing that saved him from being sent away was his ability to improvise during strategy training. And while he wasn't the best at the written tests of materia, he was a natural when it came to using one. He wasn't Genesis level with materia, but it was noted Cloud was among the top ten in the materia department.

Sephiroth pondered over the paper, confused. Why would Hojo single out Cloud? He glanced at the photograph. Same wild hair, baby face, but what caught his gaze were the deep blue eyes. They were vast as the sky. A deeper blue than Zack's, before the mako changed them. Sephiroth hoped most of the color would remain after the high dosage of mako in Cloud's system.

Maybe if he did more research about the town. Sephiroth logged into his computer and began typing. It didn't take him long to notice quite a few things that stood out.

Nibelheim was home to an abandoned reactor. It was built years ago, one of the first to be established outside of Midgar. Hojo seemed to utilize the isolated location of the village to build his own personal research facility and take advantage of the reactor. Sephiroth then learned something about his past.

He was born in Nibelheim. Making him, in a sense, the same as Cloud. Only, some years before Cloud came to existence. Only, he wasn't raised there. At some point after his birth Hojo moved them to Midgar where they remained to present day.

That wasn't sound enough to make his charge a target, though. Sephiroth dug deeper, and found the reason why Hojo had abandoned the research facility and the reactor. It started to malfunction, and due to communication problems and the company's inability to transport the necessary equipment to fix the issues, the reactor quickly became a hazard. Hojo was forced to deactivate it and leave it as it was.

The reactor didn't have anymore problems until roughly around the time Cloud would have been a toddler. It started leaking mako and other unknown excess containments into the water supply of Nibelheim. Many became sick. Some even died in their sickness. Any children under ten who got sick didn't have high chances of survival. And yet Cloud was the only one who did. He made a miraculous recovery, despite being only three years old and on his deathbed by the time ShinRa Corp sent men and a doctor to help with the situation.

Was this the reason behind Hojo targeting the recruit? He would have seen the file, noticing where Cloud came from. And after some digging he would have found out that the recruit had made a recovery from the leakage. That would have certainly peaked Hojo's interest. Hojo was responsible for the mako tests on recruits, ensuring none would have a violent or adverse reaction. Sephiroth checked the blood work. It said Cloud didn't have any adverse reaction, hence why he was selected for injections.

But Sephiroth noted that in the reports, Cloud was given higher dosages than normal for the start of a recruits ease into taking in mako. And with the high dosage he showed signs of sickness. Sephiroth guessed Hojo assumed Cloud had a higher tolerance than normal, so starting him off at higher dosages was his answer. While it did make sense, the general noted that Hojo increased the amount each injection, despite Cloud getting sicker after each one.

So, Hojo sought out a test subject from the beginning. All because he did a little digging about Cloud's past. But Sephiroth felt there was one key detail that was missing. Taking a chance, he checked the medical complaints Cloud sent in. He informed the doctors he had frequent migraines, so intense his vision sometimes blurred. Yet that was all he had. The lack of sleep due to the migraines were a side effect. And his performance faltered due to them.

To double check the side effects of mako, Sephiroth looked them up. There were a lot. But while mako could cause headaches, the migraines weren't categorized as an adverse or violent reaction. Which meant Hojo wasn't just using mako in the injections.

It was a long shot, but Sephiroth was beginning to suspect that whatever the strange substance Hojo had mixed in with his own mako injection was behind Cloud's migraines. That missing key ingredient could be the cause of their connection. He would have to inquire his charge what the liquid looked like. If Cloud recovered at all.

The thought made Sephiroth hardened at his resolve to succeed. Whatever Hojo had done, he had inadvertently created a bond between two complete strangers. Although Sephiroth suspected that if Cloud had been given only mako, it would have increased his performance enough for Zack to take him under his wing. He had mentioned he had high hopes for a recruit to be his apprentice, a friend who needed to work out his kinks in training.

Either way, Cloud was meant to be a part of his life. Sephiroth didn't understand how or why he concluded this. But after everything that transpired this day proved to him it was better to not dwell on it. Allowing things to flow and not fight against it made life run a lot smoother, in Sephiroth's opinion.

The general took another look at the file for one last read. He was being more thorough for any details he had initially missed. He was surprised to find one. There was an update on Cloud's report, which meant it was just changed before he received the file. It says Cloud was on medical leave, a family emergency that would take him back to Nibelheim. It didn't inform when he will be back.

This must be Hojo's doing, to cover his tracks.

He was already covering for himself in the event Cloud did waken. Sephiroth wasn't surprised at all. Hojo was always cautious with these sorts of things. The general was well aware of the man's care for reputation. He never raised a hand against Hojo's questionable actions, for he never had any solid proof. And it was most likely the majority of the higher ups either suspected or they turned a blind eye. None would dare to take a stand against Hojo with the Turks and the President at his beckoning.

"This is a mystery..." Sephiroth stopped, finding the choice of words reminescent of a certain someone. He sighed deeply, the general would rather not remember his once friend turned enemy. He was already in a sour mood for having to reduce the load on his desk.

It was a tower of files and papers. Sephiroth hated this part of the job description. Why couldn't they switch to digital files already? Then he remembered that recently the robots and other SOLDIER weapons department were having technical difficulties. The company was being extra cautious to prevent any sensitive information leaking. ShinRa was already under scrutiny over the robots causing havoc, and Genesis going AWOL and targeting any facility he could didn't help matters.

With a silent groan to himself, Sephiroth began tackling the mountain on his desk.

xXx

By the time Sephiroth was made aware how late it was, he was relieved. It was close to midnight, which meant he had no reason to continue to remain at his office. He stacked the remaining papers and files for the next day in a neat pile. He gathered the larger pile that he had finished and brought them to his secretary. Her desk was empty, unsurprised she left once her shift was over. Sephiroth placed them on her desk so she could send them out when she came back.

The general made his way to his floor. He was exhausted, and he was anxious to check on Cloud. Zack was too busy wrapping up his own report for his recent mission, and right after he was scheduled to train recruits. A lot of the recruits complained about how much they missed his classes, so Zack had a lot to make up for.

Sephiroth checked his pager. Zack hadn't messaged him. Which meant the lieutenant was most likely passed out. While he cared for his friend, Sephiroth was more intent on catching up with some much needed rest. When he entered his suite, however, he was greeted with a surprise.

Zack had made dinner for them. He must have eaten his portion then proceeded to pass out on the couch to the television. Sephiroth quietly turned off the device and gathered his friend's empty plate. He carried them to the sink to soak, too exhausted to bother washing. Sephiroth found his plate sitting on the table with aluminum foil covering it.

He took the foil off and ate his dinner cold. Sephiroth didn't care at this point. He was too ready for slumber after a tiring day. Having his dinner late and cold wasn't going to ruin him. And although he would rather save the meal for the morning, he knew Zack would have felt better if he had eaten it the night it was made.

Sephiroth wondered why he was beginning to care more about his only friend's reactions. Maybe it was partially due to the migraine had lessoned to a dull ache. It was slowly ebbing away the longer he was in his suite. Once again he couldn't help but think that maybe this was all due to Cloud. Although maybe putting some food in his system might have helped a tad, too.

Since the couch was taken, Sephiroth opted for his bed. It was big enough for both him and his charge. He changed out of his work clothes and into a pair of sweats. He never bothered with a shirt when he slept. Most fabrics left his skin itching or developed a rash.

Sephiroth crawled underneath the covers, eyes on Cloud the whole time. He hadn't moved since Sephiroth placed him there, not that he would hope for any progress. Then soon as he was next to him, Cloud stirred. He didn't wake up, only to snuggle closer to Sephiroth. It was similar to before when Cloud nuzzled his chest earlier that day. Soon as they were cuddling, Sephiroth felt his skin tingling again.

He found it strange, although Sephiroth was surprised he didn't mind it. He watched over Cloud's slumber. This was a new curiosity that was growing by the hour. He was steadily growing anxious for the recruit to recover.

_How I wish to see your eyes._

Within a short amount of time the general was eased into a dreamless sleep. A first in many years where he wasn't plagued with nightmares or odd dreams that made absolutely no sense. The next morning he awoke well rested and clouded blue mako infused eyes staring at him.


	3. Predator

For a moment Sephiroth stared. He studied how Cloud's eyes weren't completely focused. They were open but not seeing. Meaning his brain wasn't completely over the mako poisoning. Sephiroth wasn't expecting a fast recovery, but even so to wake up to this was still considered a higher recovery rate. Maybe this won't take as long as he expected.

Curious, Sephiroth raised a hand to a pale cheek. The glowing eyes blinked, otherwise he made no other indication of reacting. The tingling sensation was going haywire for some reason. All of this from one gesture? Intimacy seemed to get a reaction more.

Sephiroth thought about testing his theory further, but his nose and ears told him Zack was awake. And by the aroma of pancakes, he was making breakfast. The general reluctantly pulled away to begin changing. All the while he felt the clouded eyes follow him. For someone who was under a serious case of mako poisoning, Cloud was somewhat more aware than he should be.

Sephiroth gently lifted Cloud in his arms and carried him into the living room. Perhaps he would be aware enough to notice Zack. Once again Cloud nuzzled into his chest. A strange possessiveness took over the general. He forced it down, knowing full well he didn't have to concern himself with Zack.

"Morning, Seph! How's the chocobo doing?" Zack called out, still focused on the stove.

"His eyes are open." Sephiroth informed.

"Wait, what!? Let me see!" Immediately the lieutenant ran over, forgetting the pancakes. He had to move into Sephiroth's personal bubble at an odd angle just to see Cloud's face. Sephiroth felt awkward, but at the moment he couldn't do anything about it. When Zack was mother hen there was no stopping him.

"Woah...His eyes changed. But at least they're still blue." Zack raised a hand to gently run a hand through the blonde spikes. Sephiroth held back the need to snap. Why was he so possessive over a complete stranger? This was Zack's friend. He had more reason to be protective.

"Did you expect anything else when it's mako?" Sephiroth pointed out, hoping the faint sound of a snarl being held back wasn't noticeable.

"No. Usually they turn more green. But he still has most of the original color." Zack was almost brushing up against him to study Cloud at a different angle. Sephiroth was beginning to lose patience of the close proximity.

"I believe you have food on the stove. I would appreciate if you don't burn my kitchen." His voice couldn't hide the growl in his throat this time.

"Oops! My bad!" Zack raced to rescue their breakfast. He didn't seem to notice the possessiveness, or he figured it was more towards the general's usual annoyance over the kitchen being burned. The pair have had quite a number of close calls, one or the other at fault.

Relieved, Sephiroth moved to place Cloud on the couch. The placement was so he could step away enough to clear his head and avoid a future outburst at his lieutenant. The tingling sensation had spread through almost all of his body.

_This is something I have to observe in private._

There was a time he wouldn't mind sharing all details with Zack. His lieutenant had become his support after Angeal's death and Genesis' continuous AWOL scheme. However, something about this was too intimate. It had been awkward enough when he had to explain the connection he had with the recruit.

As the day wore on Sephiroth was impatient at his office. All he could think about was Cloud. If he hadn't had so much work to get done he would have taken the day off. Hell, by the way his mind was solely focused on Cloud it would be for the next week.

He was so focused on the minute he can clock out and go back to his suite that he forgot to look into the matter of Hojo. When it finally came for him to leave Sephiroth wasted no time.

Earlier today Zack left for a mission that would keep him away for a few days. Thus this left him with a little more freedom to explore this connection between him and Cloud. On the way he made sure to silence his pager so he wouldn't have any interruptions.

Upon entering his suite he discovered Cloud had managed to move from the bedroom. He didn't get very far, though. He was laying on the floor not far from the couch. Soon as Sephiroth was close Cloud jerked his head to see him, making the general pause.

His eyes were still clouded. However there was a little more life in them, as if he was starting to become more aware. They weren't as dull compared to the state beforehand.

"You heard my calling?" Sephiroth had no idea what made him think this, but he sensed what Cloud was trying to do. Slowly the blond raised a hand towards him.

Above the recruit Sephiroth smirked.

xXx

"Is he always like this?" Reno asked Tseng, watching General Sephiroth walk rather quickly out of his office. Something was off.

He and Tseng had been assigned to watch the general closely. They didn't know the full details, only that he now had a pet from a failed experiment with him. Hojo didn't provide details on that part. And to be frank, Reno felt better off not knowing.

Tseng glanced at the screen. His eyes narrowed at the subtle change of the general's behavior. He didn't know him too well, but enough to understand how the man is. He had noted that for the entire day Sephiroth had been restless. And now he was showing the eagerness of a man on a mission. In the ShinRa building.

Sephiroth had always been bored and wished he wasn't here. His preferred work experience was in the field. Tseng remembered the first time he worked with the general on a mission. The way his eyes lit up as he took down monsters or opponents made him shiver.

Sephiroth had that same look now.

"No. He's not usually like this unless he's on a mission." Tseng checks the general's schedule. He wasn't set for another mission for another two weeks.

"If only we can get cameras in his suite, eh?" Reno sighed. "He knows he's being watched, I swear."

"It's because he's been watched his entire life. However he strictly put a rule that the president is enforcing." Which allowed no such cameras or microphones be placed in his suite. Not even Hojo was allowed to overstep this.

"What about Zack? Think you can get information from him?" Reno knew it would be too late now to ask the lieutenant, but perhaps they could set something up for his return.

"If he's willing to cooperate." Tseng wasn't sure how loyal Zack was to Sephiroth.

"It wouldn't hurt to try. He likes you and Cissinei." Reno shrugged.

"... Maybe." Tseng watched as Sephiroth entered his suite.

For a week Sephiroth showed more signs that was concerning. He would sometimes space out, even during conversations. When pressed about it he wouldn't give a straight answer. He would show more signs of being restless. Once when Tseng took it upon himself to see the state of Sephiroth in person, every instinct told him to run.

Now a SOLDIER can have the effect of their eyes glowing. Depending how long they have been a SOLDIER, they can glow pretty bright. Never had Tseng seen Sephiroth's eyes glow so brightly before. And the hungry look in them made the Turk uncomfortable.

"I suppose you're the one Hojo assigned to watch me?" Sephiroth guessed.

"Well, you are displaying subtle changes." Tseng knew it was pointless to deny him.

"Oh?" The general raised an eyebrow.

"You've been restless. And to be frank, you're scaring a lot of people."

"How so?"

"Your eyes. They're glowing."

"They're always glowing." Sephiroth pointed out.

"Have you looked at them recently? They're brighter than usual. It's scaring some of us."

"I can't control it." The general glared. Suddenly the glow had a completely different tone. He was a predator reading a possible threat.

"What exactly do you have in your suite?"

The blunt inquiry made him pause, forgetting he was angry. Tseng watched as Sephiroth smirked. His chest rumbled with a soft chuckle.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" He was teasing him. "Hojo never informed you?"

"Only that you obtained a failed experiment as a pet." Tseng wasn't prepared for the laughter in response. He had never heard the general laugh. This made his instincts screaming to get away.

"Then I won't tell you, either." Sephiroth turned to leave. Before he did he glanced over his shoulder. His eyes held a dangerous look in them. It was predatory and held the promise of pain should Tseng tread closer to finding the truth.

Tseng decided to stay well away from Sephiroth at that point. He ordered the same for all the Turks, despite Veld being slightly curious, though he did approve the rule. Rarely did Tseng come to him so shaken. So while Veld didn't go into what happened he trusted Tseng. Plus, Veld had other matters taking up his priority.

"So, we gonna do somethin' about this through Zack?" Reno asked the night before the lieutenant's return.

"I would rather not. But he's the only person who can get close to Sephiroth. That is if he can still recognize Zack as a friend."

"Well, at least he would have some sort of warning, ya know?" Reno had a point. "In case things go shitty real fast."

The next day to their relief Sephiroth didn't show interest in Zack's return. Tseng was the first to greet the lieutenant from the helicopter on his return. He smiled at him in his usual manner. Then it went away when he noticed the grim expression.

"What happened?"

"Not here." Tseng knew that they were being watched. Turks and SOLDIERs still had a straining relationship. If it would even be called that.

"Okay. Lead the way." Zack nods. Luckily he didn't see Turks the way most people did.

Soon as he explained everything, Zack didn't want to believe at first. Tseng then showed him some of the footage. Then came the one where Tseng approached Sephiroth directly. At the end of the clip the lieutenant bit his lip.

"Shit," He glanced away.

"Tell me everything you know." Tseng went straight to the point.

"Promise me that you won't hurt them?" Zack glared.

Them? So this was personal for him. This was more than just Sephiroth to Zack. Then Tseng remembered Zack's inquiry of a recruit not too long ago. He had been so concerned, then all of a sudden he wasn't. It was an odd change of behavior, one Tseng completely forgot about due to being tasked to watch Sephiroth's movements.

"It's your friend isn't it?"

"Look, whatever is going on you're not hurting them." Zack stood his ground.

"I can't make any promises when it concerns the higher ups." Tseng sighed. "But, I will do everything in my power to ensure no harm comes to them. Now please, tell me what you know."

"... Not a lot. You know about my recruit disappearing. Well, Sephiroth found him."

"When?"

"Roughly two weeks ago."

"What state was he in?"

"Cloud had severe mako poisoning. When I left he managed to open his eyes. As for the state he's in now, I don't know. Sephiroth doesn't tell me details over the phone."

"What was his reasoning for taking Cloud?"

"He said there was a connection. Cloud called out to him somehow in the labs one day when Sephiroth was scheduled for his regular check ups with Hojo." Zack furrowed his brows. "Damn it, looking back he started to act weird then, too. But I was too excited to find Cloud safe that I didn't notice."

All of this was concerning. Tseng had no idea what to think of all of this. He had for years suspected Hojo being responsible for some disappearances of recruits, but found no proof. And no one wanted to search further into his theory. Hojo pulled a lot of strings, deeper than Tseng initially thought at the time.

But of course any paper trail Hojo would have are destroyed. Unless Sephiroth took a stand their proof was mere circumstance from the lieutenant. If Cloud managed to recover, it was doubtful he would remember much due to the mako poisoning.

Then there was the rapid decline of Sephiroth's interest in his duties. His desk had towers of paperwork which he showed no interest in. It would seem he was growing an obsession with Cloud. Tseng wasn't one to judge on such things. However if it was to drastically change someone then something had to be done about it.

But what? Tseng knew better than to remove Cloud from Sephiroth's care. The general already named him enemy number one should anything happen to Cloud. So then they had to put their direction of action towards Sephiroth.

That didn't ease his mind either.

Suddenly the security alarms blared. The red lights flashed, creating an omenous atmosphere. His pager went off and Tseng answered.

"The robots are at it again!" Reno yelled. "And that's not all, Sephiroth is destroying everything in his path taking care of them! He's outta control, yo!"

"Where is he?"

"The 34th floor!"

"Zack." Tseng turned to him.

"On it."

"I'm coming with you." Tseng wasn't going to stand back for this.

"Then stay behind me." Zack took the lead.


	4. Strange Unison

The scene was chaotic. Robots and their parts scattered around. They found Sephiroth taking down the last of them on this floor down a hallway. The wall was made of glass, so the night sky was drowned out by the glow of the mako reactors.

The walls were scarred from robots and sword alike. Sephiroth was usually precise and avoided causing damage, so this was so out of character for him. He turned to see them. His eyes were wild and it made Zack shudder.

_What in the world happened?_

"Seph?" Zack asked, slowly advancing forward.

"He's here." Sephiroth spoke softly.

"Who's here?" Did he mean Cloud?

Suddenly a Firaga hit the glass, shattering a gaping hole. Zack shielded his eyes, gripping the handle of the Buster Sword. In seconds he heard two people enter. He looked up to see two Genesis clones.

_Oh. That's who he meant._ One took to Zack, the other to Sephiroth. He wasn't making any movement to defend himself.

"Sephiroth!" Zack tried to push forward but the clone stood in his way. Tseng ran around to aim his gun at the second clone going after the general.

Suddenly a figure leaped from behind, sword drawn and intercepted the clone. Zack and Tseng did a double take. Cloud?

Something was off. His eyes glowed with the same level as Sephiroth's. He had the same predatory gaze as the general. Together they moved as one as they attacked the clone. Baffled before them, Tseng moved to aid Zack.

Together they made quick work of the clone. Both clones slumped over dead. Zack still felt terrible about them, as they had become mindless slaves to Genesis for his cause to find a cure. Both lieutenant and Turk glanced up at the pair before them.

"Seph? Cloud?" Zack cautiously made his way closer. He had a mix of emotions. He was ecstatic to see Cloud up and moving. But he was beyond terrified. He's watched his friend fight. He never fought like that. His movements were similar to Sephiroth, only small changes made to accommodate his body frame and height difference.

"I suggest you leave us." Cloud spoke. While those words hurt Zack had enough will to not cry. His voice was different. His demeanor wasn't the kind boy Zack knew.

"What did you do to him!?" Zack snarled at the general.

"Smart puppy." Sephiroth commented darkly. "Perhaps a little too smart."

That last sentence both of them said it at the same time. Zack gasped, his veins went ice cold at the sight before him. It was then he realized both of them weren't the friends he knew or cared deeply about.

"What's gotten into you two?" The lieutenant demanded.

"Nothing you would understand." Both answered.

"Red Alert: Red Alert: Former Commander Genesis Rhapsodos spotted. He's heading towards the laboratory. All First Class are to respond immediately."

Zack grit his teeth. Damn it, Sephiroth wasn't moving. Which meant he wasn't planning to deal with Genesis. That left Zack to answer the call. But he couldn't leave these two alone.

"You would abandon your duties?"

"Tseng?" Zack was torn on what to do. He was reaching out for guidance.

"What are your intentions?" Tseng was debating which situation required the most urgent attention.

"To rid the world of the impurities that ruined it. Starting with SOLDIER." Their voices sounded so different yet the same. It was unnerving. "So what will it be, Zack? Will you join us?"

Cloud raised a hand out towards him. The sight pulled at Zack's heart. Damn it, he was really torn now. He could hear a ringing in his ears. What was this? Why was it so loud? It was like every part of his body wanted to move forward.

Was this the pull Sephiroth talked about? When he found Cloud? Zack used his entire willpower not to move. Instead he glared at the general. He knew Cloud, this wasn't him. Therefore it was Sephiroth who was controlling him somehow.

He leaped into action, dashing around Cloud to attack Sephiroth. Up close he could see that this really wasn't the friend he once knew. Something in him changed. The general effortlessly blocked the attack.

"You're not Sephiroth." Zack hissed as he tries to push with all his might.

"Look out!" Tseng aimed his gun and took fire. Cloud dodged the bullet but continued to swing his sword at Zack from behind.

Zack adjusted himself to where the sword crossed with Masamune. In a flash the lieutenant grabbed Cloud then positioned to roll him over Zack and onto the floor. In seconds he blocked an attack from Sephiroth. Once again he tried to push with all his might to overpower the general.

It didn't go quite as planned until they were ambushed with more clones. With the distraction he needed Zack used the hilt of his sword and hit Sephiroth's temple with enough strength to knock him out. The silver general slumped to the floor unconscious.

"Huh?" Cloud blinked, confused and scared.

"I knew it! Cloud, you okay?" Zack strikes down the clone that attacked the recruit.

"Zack? I don't feel..." Cloud faints. Zack caught him with one arm as he finished off the clone. Tseng took care of the last one. Zack knelt down with Cloud in his lap.

An explosion sounded in the building. That was most likely Genesis doing. Tseng radioed Reno.

"What's the status?"

"Genesis destroyed the lab. But he started actin' weird beforehand."

"Him too? Are all SOLDIERs effected by Sephiroth?" Tseng wondered. The fact Zack hesitated in his attack didn't go unnoticed by the Turk.

"It would seem so. He stopped being all crazy when Sephiroth was knocked cold." Reno explained.

"Where is he now?"

"No idea."

"Send - "

"What in the Goddess's name is going on here?"

Tseng and Zack looked up. Damn it, rotten timing. Genesis landed casually and tucked his long deformed wing in. His stage of degrating had advanced a lot. His hair lost almost all its color, his skin deathly pale and even his eyes weren't as vibrant.

"Sephiroth?" He studied the unconscious general.

"Let me guess. You felt the pull, too?" Zack guessed.

"Is that what it was? How did he achieve that?"

"Dunno." Zack had a guess, but he wasn't going to inform the former commander.

"You're lying." Genesis narrowed his eyes.

"Wanna fight about it, then?" Zack carefully placed Cloud to the floor and then stood up, drawing the Buster Sword.

His eyes held a heated gaze at the weapon. He still felt Zack shouldn't be the one to carry the legacy of it. Then they could hear the sounds of Turks and SOLDIERs alike running towards them. Genesis stretched his wing outward.

"Maybe next time, dog." He took to the skies.

A single black feather gently fell to the floor.

"Tseng! Zack! What the - Sephiroth?" Cissinei stared at the sight before her. She wasn't the only one confused.

"Bring the general and the recruit to the infirmary. Make sure they get separate beds far away as possible." Tseng gave the order.

"Actually, I would like to take Sephiroth off your hands." Hojo emerged.

"You asked us to watch him." Tseng narrowed his eyes.

"And I am relieving you of your duties. Leave him to me."

"Cissinei, we're bringing the recruit instead." He wasn't going to fight the man over Sephiroth.

When Hojo and his men carried away Sephiroth, Zack glared at the Turk. Tseng held his poker face. Whether the lieutenant knew or not his eyes still had an unnatural glow that was different than before this night.

"Whatever he's doing isn't going to help Sephiroth."

"I am aware. But, we have Cloud. He has yet to see the value of him. Let's try and keep it that way."

"What do you have in mind?"

It was risky, but Tseng had in mind of a certain flower girl in the slums.


	5. Secrets

"Hello? Hellooo! Oh, jeez, you okay? Hello? Hellooooooo!"

A sweet voice called out to him. Cloud forced his eyes to open, only to groan from the brightness of the day. He caught sight of a young woman standing over him. He blinked a few more times. Once his vision adjusted to the light he stared.

She had brown hair and green eyes. Something about those eyes reminded him of someone. He wasn't quite sure who. Her white blue dress reminded him a little of his mother. Huh?

_Why am I remembering her now?_

"Hello? Oh, you're awake! You all right?" She tilts her head down at him.

"Yeah... Where am I?" Cloud slowly sat up. His body felt sore all over, like he had a really intense training work out. He took in his surroundings.

A church? But it seemed abandoned. Parts of the roof was crumbling. Under the sun's warmth and light flowers grew from the ground where the floor boards had been peeled away.

"You don't know where this is?" She was curious.

"No? The last thing I remember was..." He tried to recall.

He had a very strange dream involving fighting off rogue robots and Genesis clones. Then fighting Zack and a Turk. By his side was Sephiroth. Was it really a dream? It was so vivid, as if it were real. But he had never met the general.

"You feeling all right, mister?" The girl pressed.

"Hm? Oh. Yeah, I'm fine." Cloud stood up. "So where am I?"

"You're in Sector 5. Currently in a church. I take care of the flowers here." She explained with a giggle. "By the way, with your uniform, you're part of the military?"

He glanced down. He was wearing his recruit uniform. He didn't have a weapon, however. Cloud wondered if that was supposed to mean something. He searched for his phone and to his horror it was missing.

"Uh, do you happen to have a phone?" Cloud asked sheepishly.

"A phone? No. I don't have one. We're in the Slums. A phone would get stolen faster than gil here."

"Oh. Right." The Slums? How did he get here?

"Do you know where the train station is?"

"Why so much in a hurry to leave when we just met? I don't even know your name."

"Oh. I'm sorry. My name's Cloud. Cloud Strife." He introduced.

"Aerith. Now that wasn't so bad, was it?" She giggled, making him smile.

Suddenly a wave of possessiveness and jealousy flooded Cloud. He blinked as his smile disappeared. Where did that come from? It almost felt like the emotions weren't his. Cloud shook his head, pushing the moment out of his mind.

"So, wanna hang out with me?"

"Huh? We just met..." Cloud was suddenly nervous.

"It's the least you can do for falling asleep in this church. At least you didn't fall on the flowers." Aerith huffed at the last part.

"Does that mean someone did before?" Cloud chuckled at the thought.

"Of course he did!" Aerith snaps, surprising the blond. "And then he doesn't take the time to come visit often even though he's clearly interested. Or maybe I'm the idiot."

_Feisty one, isn't she?_

"How come he can't visit so often?" Cloud inquired.

"He's a SOLDIER." Her answer was all that he needed to know.

"High up?" Cloud guessed.

"So he says. But I don't doubt him. I can tell when people lie."

"Then maybe I can track him down for you? Knock some sense into him?" Cloud offered, it was the least he could do. It wasn't fair someone would do that to her.

"Really?" She leans forward a little, tilting her head. Cloud took a step back. He expected the strange feelings not his own to come again, but to his surprise it didn't happen.

"You would do that for me? A complete stranger?"

"Of course. It's why I joined SOLDIER. To be a hero and help people."

"Hmm. To be a hero. You sound just like him, you know? I wonder, do you know him? His name is Zack Fair - "

"Extroadanaire." Cloud finished with a smile. "Yeah, he's my friend."

_How come he never told you of her?_

Cloud pushed the thought away. There was a lot Zack didn't tell him about. And it was the same vice versa. Cloud wasn't going to push issues if Zack didn't want to turn to him about help or talk about something in particular.

"He's your friend? Then you have to knock some sense in him for me! He hasn't seen me in a month." Aerith crossed her arms.

"I'll be sure to do that when I see him next. So, what do you wanna do? You said you wanted to hang out right?"

"Hmm. Come, I'll show you around." Aerith turned and lead the way.

She was an odd one. Aerith had recruited him to help sell her flowers. She had bubbling energy and a sense of wisdom. A while ago he would have fallen head over heels. But now his heart was closed off. Cloud didn't question why, he was merely enjoying the not so chaotic life as a recruit while he had the chance.

As they walked around Cloud had the feeling of being watched. A few times he would look over his shoulder. But there was no one there. Yet the feeling wouldn't go away. Eventually Aerith showed him to the train station. And that was when she surprised him once again.

"I hope you didn't mind my shadow. He's a little protective of me. I don't know why, but he's just making sure nothing happens." Aerith turned to him all seriousness.

"What? So you're always being followed? By who?"

"I don't know." She shrugs. "But I know he's there, too."

"Oh - okay then." Cloud thought that was weird.

"Here. Take these. Give one to Zack for me? You can keep the other one." Aerith passed him two of the flowers from her basket.

"But - you hardly sold any today!" He was surprised. He couldn't take them.

"It's fine. I don't mind being a little short handed. Besides, I want these to go to a good home." Aerith smiled. "Remember your promise."

"Right. Knock some sense into Zack." Cloud nods, and accepted the flowers.

The train whistled to signal it's time to leave was soon. Cloud said his farewell and got on. Despite not having his phone, he still had his wallet with his military ID on it. When he pulled it out, he noticed another key behind it. The military ID he had allowed him access where the infantryman are allowed.

So then where did this second one come from? It was well hidden, blending in behind his. It would only be noticed if he twisted the ID around. Cloud moved his ID out of the way to study the second card. It was blank, with one single black line to be scanned.

_Don't lose it._

"Okay, then. I won't." Cloud answered the strange voice.

When he finally reached the top plate, he was lost. He still hasn't gotten used to learn his way around in Midgar. He knew he could just follow his way towards the tower, but it was all a maze and he met too many zig zags and dead ends.

Cloud tried asking a few locals for help, but was left to fend for himself. He tried to find maps, too. He had the gil to possibly buy one. There was nothing. Nothing to help guide him. It was getting dark and he was making no progress.

_Look around. Use your eyes._

Cloud blinked, but scanned around him at closer inspection. There was nothing but a man passed out drunk on an outside table of a bar. Then he saw it. A phone was lying by the man's half empty drink. Cloud glanced around to find anyone watching.

The bartender wasn't at the bar. Probably taking a break. There were no other customers. No one in this street. Quietly Cloud snatched it and made his way to what he assumed was the main street. When he was at a safe distance he flipped it open then dialed Zack's number.

"Hello?" The lieutenant answers sleepily.

"Zack?" Cloud asked. He hears a gasp from his friend.

"Cloud!? What the - where have you been? I've been so worried! Where are you now? And whose number is this?"

"I'm lost. In the first sector. I'm borrowing someone's phone."

"What can you see?"

"Umm..." Cloud searched. "There's a large fountain in some sort of town square."

"Okay. Stay there! I think I know where that is. I'm heading to you!" Zack hung up.

_Discard the phone._

Cloud wanted to keep it. It was a nice phone. But he knew better. Phones like this would probably be traced. If a stolen phone was found in his possession then he can kiss his military career goodbye.

The recruit promptly threw it carelessly into the fountain. Cloud turned to sit down on the fountain edge and waited. Some unknown time later he sees Zack running towards him.

"Hey Cloud sorry about - OW! What was that for?" Zack pouted as he rubbed the spot Cloud punched his head.

"For Aerith. She said you haven't visited in a while." Cloud reached into his pocket and pulled out a flower. "That's for you, too."

"Aerith? Wait, how'd you meet her? What happened?" Zack frowns as he accepted the flower.

"I don't know. Woke up in a random church in Sector 5. How long have I been away?"

"Uh - a few days? You don't remember anything?" Something about the lieutenant was off. Like he knew something.

"No. So, can we grab some grub? I'm hungry. Haven't eaten all day." Whatever Zack was hiding Cloud wasn't going to press him. He wanted to keep his only friend in the military.

"Uh, sure. I know a place nearby. My treat."

"Good. Let's go eat."


	6. Hallucinations

"Whoa, is that really Cloud?"

"How did he get so good?"

"It's like he changed overnight or something."

"Maybe he did favors to train more."

"But those eyes... They're mako eyes."

_Ignore them. It's not their judgment for you to concern yourself with._

Cloud sighed with a loud huff as he finished his kata. He was irritated with his fellow recruits talking about him. They were at the other end of the room talking softly. And yet he could hear them clear as day as if they were closer.

He was also irritated at the voice in his head. As days passed it wouldn't go away. Some days his head was quiet, and Cloud thought it was finally gone. Then the voice was back the next morning continuing with random input or advice.

And to make matters worse everyone was treating him different. It wasn't just the recruits. Zack had changed, too. Gone was the easy going and all smiles attitude. He seemed to be lost in thought and always watching him. Following him around like a concerned mother hen chocobo.

All of this unnecessary stress was driving Cloud up the wall insane. His dreams weren't an escape, either. He would have weird dreams of someone touching him, hands exploring his body and a hot mouth biting. Cloud refused to admit about being dominated as a cock thrusted in and out of him in a brutal pace.

He was beginning to wonder if he really was a virgin with such livid dreams. And if he wasn't, then who was the other man? He wondered for a minute if it was Zack, which would explain the difference of behavior towards him.

Cloud ruled that out when the voice in his head growled. The recruit frowned. Okay, so it wasn't the lieutenant. Why was he taking these weird thoughts seriously again?

"Cloud? You in there Strife?" Zack waved his hand in front of the recruits face. Cloud snapped out of his train of thought.

"What?" He snapped. Cloud immediately regretted the outburst at the hurt expression on his friend's face.

"What's gotten into you?" Zack glared, arms crossed.

"Look, I'm sorry. All right? Can we just drop it?" Cloud glared back. He didn't feel so bad anymore.

"Not if whatever is bothering you making your attitude unworthy of SOLDIER." At his own words Zack's face softened. "Look, you know you can tell me anything right?"

Unfortunately the first part had made Cloud cold. He forced himself to hold back from flinching. He pushed around Zack towards the locker room.

"Wait - Cloud! I'm just trying to help!"

"Fuck off Zack." He wasn't in the mood.

_Whatever happened to keeping your one and only friend?_

"Shut up," Cloud hissed under his breath. His defiance earned a chuckle.

After he gathered his stuff and closing his locker he left without a spare glance. Cloud slammed his locker shut and made his way to his barracks for a shower. His roommates weren't around so he had the hot water to himself. Usually he would be last and shivered in the cold water.

Soon as he got in arousal flooded him. Cloud gasped at the overwhelming sensation. His body was just as hot as the water somehow. His skin tingled as his senses went into overload.

_Know what you need? A means to get rid of this excess stress._

Was the voice always this sexy? Suddenly Cloud felt a sense of drunkenness. His mind was fuzzy as started using his hand on his cock. He whimpered from the contact.

_Use your fingers._

Cloud tentatively reached with his other hand. He bit his lip, nervous. He's masturbated before but really explored this part of the act. With one finger inside he gasped. It didn't take long for him to insert another one as Cloud found momentum. Soon the shower was filled with his moans and gasps.

_Turn around and face the wall._

The voice had a tone he would do well to obey. So Cloud turned around even though he was a little confused. His confusion flew out the window as ghostly hands explored. They were the same hands as his dreams.

Suddenly he could feel his ass being stretched out. Cloud cried out at the odd familiarity. He glanced over his shoulder. No one was there. So how was this happening?

The movements started and Cloud couldn't think. He lost himself in the sensations. A hand gripped at his hip and the other grabbed a handful of his wet spikes. Cloud cried out as he came, his body tensing up.

A painful bite at his shoulder made him cry in pain. Yet strangely it spurred on the pleasure. Cloud almost had a name at the tip of his tongue as the other came. He couldn't feel anything inside but he whimpered at the thought of being filled up inside.

"M-more..." Cloud weakly whimpered.

_You want more? Come find me at the 40th floor tonight._

Cloud slid to the floor as he gasped. As he recovered he started wondering what was wrong with his head. Now that he knew he wasn't entirely going crazy he needed answers. Quickly cleaned himself up and finished his shower.

For the rest of the day his anxiousness was setting in for a different reason. Cloud kept to himself as he wished the hours didn't tick by like minutes. He still had no idea what to think about the voice or who it was.

"Cloud? You okay buddy?" Zack caught him during dinner.

"Hm? Yeah. I'm fine. Look... I'm sorry for how I was earlier. It's just... I know I'm different than the rest somehow and it's kind of scaring me." Cloud was mostly honest. It was scaring him.

"It's okay. I would be scared, too if I suddenly woke up and I'm doing better. But, you can do it. Now it looks like you won't be cut off for making it to SOLDIER, right?"

"I guess." Cloud made a sad attempt to smile.

"Something else going on?" Zack saw through him.

"Nothing. Just tired." He felt it, anyhow.

"Okay. Just know you can always talk to me, okay?"

Cloud nods, looking back down at the food tray. This slop was supposed to be food? He forced himself to eat. Cloud wondered what time he should head to the 40th floor. Maybe he should wait for a sign.

His sign was when the power went out during the night. He had been restless in his bed as his roommates all fell asleep. Then the low hum of the power went silent. The light above the door was dead, as well as the hall light that would illuminate the room from the crack below the door. Yet he could see perfectly in the dark.

_Come, Cloud._

In a daze Cloud quietly left the barracks. He used the stairs as people scrambled around like headless chocobos. No one took any notice of him walking around past bed time.

He used the new key card to get through the door of the 40th floor. The hallway was dark as he walked down it. Then he came across an office. He stared at the door. Cloud didn't understand how he knew but this was supposed to be where he had to be. However he was hesitating.

_Well? What are you waiting for?_

Falling for the taunt Cloud opened the door.


	7. Dangerous Temptations

Cloud blinked several times as if waking up in a daze. He could mostly recall how he ended up in this office. But it felt like a dream more than reality. He could see everything perfectly in the dark and he was at first amazed of this new ability.

Maybe he did have mako eyes. He recalled how Zack could see perfectly in the dark as well. He had shown this in a few of the missions Cloud had the opportunity to work with him.

Then the recruit noticed he wasn't alone. He caught sight of someone in a chair at the desk and he froze. It took Cloud a moment to process as green eyes studied him.

"S-Sir? I didn't mean to intrude. Um, if it's not too much trouble I'll be going back."

"You don't want answers, then?" Sephiroth smirked at the cadet's interest. His eyes glinted in the dark.

"So... Those weren't hallucinations, sir?" Cloud was appalled. It felt like his entire world was turned topsy turvy.

"In a way. It was our connection between us that I am able to communicate with you, and vice versa."

"Connection?" Cloud was still confused.

_Come to me._

"S-Sir?" The recruit was torn between running away and answering the general.

_As my honor in SOLDIER, I won't harm you, Cloud._

His fear subsided enough for the recruit to make his legs move. Cloud couldn't tear his gaze away from Sephiroth's. Was this how they always were? Cloud had never seen the general in person. At least as far as he could recall anyway.

Soon he passed the desk Cloud stopped. Images and thoughts gave him ideas. His cheeks blushed and Cloud quickly pushed the thoughts away. Sephiroth chuckles in bemusement.

"I give you permission. Anything you wish."

"Anything?"

"Anything, Cloud."

The blond hesitated, opting for taking in the time to study the general's features. The posters, photographs, and the news cameras had nothing in comparison. He was a mix of sexual attraction and power. And Sephiroth knew was aware of the effects he had on people.

_Don't be shy._ Sephiroth was having too much fun teasing him.

"First... Can you tell me more about this connection? How did it happen? And when?" It was really difficult to resist temptation. But Cloud wanted answers first.

"It started a little over a month ago. You disappeared. Zack was worried, of course. I happen to find you through our connection."

"But how? We never met before."

_Open your mind a little more to me. I'll share with you my memories. Perhaps it would help you remember as well._

"How do I do that?"

_Close your eyes and concentrate on me._

Cloud wondered why he didn't hesitate. But he sensed through whatever this connection was that the general is being honest. He closed his eyes and concentrated. He invisioned the general in his head and focused on the mental image.

Suddenly memories not his own flashed through his head. There was ringing in his ears and it hurt. Cloud raised his hands to cover then in vain.

_Relax Cloud. Let the memories flow._

His voice calmed the recruit. And so he saw how Sephiroth found him and the conversation with Hojo. Sephiroth didn't leave any details out, the memory flowed as one long movie as it progressed.

He saw how he was quickly overcome the severe case of mako poisoning. Yet he was under someone's control. At first he thought it was Sephiroth. Then in the memories, Sephiroth was listening to another voice. This one made Cloud shiver in terror.

Cloud saw them making out several times. And he whimpered as he grew hot with need. Sephiroth then made a jump in the memories to the fight against Zack when Genesis made another attack. When Zack knocked the general in the head with the handle of his Buster Sword Cloud felt the pain.

He cried out as he knelt down, snapping out of the memories with a gasp. Cloud opened his eyes to Sephiroth still sitting in his chair, a devilish smirk on his face. Notably one leg was crossed over the other when he wasn't like that before. Through the bond Cloud knew he was hiding his own arousal.

"Sir?" Cloud had so many questions he didn't know which ones to ask first.

"I don't know who was controlling us, and I haven't heard her voice since Zack knocked me out. I assure you Zack isn't an enemy. He cares for us deeply. He simply doesn't know how to approach us about it."

That eased Cloud's worries. But that wasn't all of his questions.

"Yes, we went further." Sephiroth chuckles at the deep blush on the recruit's cheeks. "As for the voice, I don't know when she will return. But I have no interest in listening to her."

_Why?_ Cloud meant to ask out loud, but his voice didn't want to cooperate.

_Because now that you're more aware and yourself, I would rather we both be free of her chains. You're more interesting as you are now than as my puppet._

The last word had a resonating effect on Cloud. His body shuddered involuntarily as he gasped. His skin was already hot af bothered and yet the need grew. The change didn't go unnoticed by the general either.

"Or would you rather be my puppet?"

Cloud relaxed as he smiled. In a blink of his eyes they were now glowing green with snake irises like his own. Through the bond his mind was less troubled as he fully surrendered. However this time it was different than last time. Cloud had enough cognitive thought to respond.

"Yes, Sephiroth."

With a snarl the general finally left his chair to tackle the recruit. Cloud wrapped his arms around broad shoulders. One hand gently felt the silver strands of hair, almost massaging the scalp. Sephiroth hummed in approval.

He claimed those lips he craved for so long. Cloud responded with equal eagerness. Sephiroth could feel himself becoming drunk off his own power over someone. He stiffened when he began to hear whispers of words he couldn't decipher yet.

Reluctantly Sephiroth pulled away from the kiss. He raised a hand to a pale cheek. Cloud nuzzled into it affectionately like a cat. It was almost too endearing to make him change his mind.

"As much as I enjoy this, I can't." Sephiroth released his hold on Cloud. The recruit blinked and his eyes were back to normal. He frowned as he processed what happened.

"But why?" Was he being rejected?

"Never. I simply don't want whoever had controlled us before take their chance again. Plus, I understand what it's like to being forced in a cage. I don't wish to take away your freedom." Sephiroth said with such sincerity Cloud smiled.

The recruit placed his hands on either side of Sephiroth's face. Green eyes blinked in surprise. No one had ever been so tender in touching him this way.

_Sir? May I kiss you?_

_My offer earlier still stands, Cloud._

Encouraged Cloud leaned in as his hands guided Sephiroth close. Their skins had been tingling from their touches beforehand. But now the kiss sent them both on fire with desire and passion.

When it became too much to bear they pulled away. By now their bodies were grinding against each other. Sephiroth didn't need to read Cloud's mind to know what he wanted.

"Not now." Sephiroth hated to end it like this, but they were close out of time.

"Then when?" Cloud understood, although it didn't hurt any less.

"I'll come to you next time when I have the opportunity. Right now they're watching me like a hawk. I'm acting like I don't remember to them. As should you."

"Yes, Sir."

Cloud returned to the barracks in a daze. At first he was too restless to sleep. Then he felt Sephiroth through the connection. Gently the general eased his worries out of Cloud's head to sleep soundly through the night.


	8. Stage Set

Days passed in a blur. Cloud continued to excel in the training program. And the rift between Zack and him stopped. The lieutenant was beginning to learn new boundaries with Cloud, and the recruit eased up in his behavior as his best friend accepted those boundaries.

Sephiroth and Cloud quickly learned how to tease and mess with each other. If it was the appropriate time. Sometimes though, the general had imperfect timing and he knew it. But somehow those instances turned Cloud on anyway. In fact some cases turned him on even more.

It was clear they still ached for each other's touch. But despite their wants the pair weren't given the time of day between their schedules.

Cloud continued to be chosen as among the cadets to be on a mission with Zack. With this continued recommendation and his results in training getting better Cloud was beginning to earn a name for himself.

It came with the good and bad. For one, Cloud wasn't picked on as often. However now everyone avoided him even more. A rumor had started about his sudden change and it hindered his ability to make friends despite that he was earning his spot to pass the SOLDIER program.

And before long Cloud earned SOLDIER Third Class rank. The day he was given the news he was ecstatic. But his victory was short lived, as immediately after he was to be dispatched into a rather vague and complicated mission.

"Huh? Nibelheim?" Cloud was confused. Why would the company have any interest in his village?

"Reports are coming in of the mako reactor leaking again. We are tasked to monitor the situation and fix what we can. And the general will be assisting us." Zack crossed his arms, nervous.

"Is it that dangerous? Then what about the towns people? Shouldn't we evacuate them?" Cloud caught on something was up.

"Only if it gets that severe. Sephiroth is coming to assess whether it comes down to that."

"But you don't think he's needed." Cloud wasn't sure how he knew this, or if he was supposed to. The shocked expression on Zack's face was enough.

"Okay, stop that."

"Stop what?" Cloud played innocent.

"That whole mind reading thing."

"I don't know what you're talking about. I'm just going by how well I know you. You've been avoiding introducing me to him. You can't keep him to yourself, you know."

"Look, I..." For a moment it looked as if Zack was finally going to spill the beans. The troubled expression on his face said it all. "Just forget it, okay?"

"What's with you all of a sudden?" Cloud was now angry. He was so close to getting Zack to come clean!

"What? What are you on about now? You're the one who's changed since you became Third Class." Zack shot back.

"You..." A pained headache made the blonde flinch. He raised a hand to his head as he distantly heard a voice.

**_REUNION..._**

Through the connection Cloud knew Sephiroth heard it as well. The general had assured him that he hadn't heard the voice since Zack snapped the pair out of whatever possessed them. And by his reaction this was the same voice.

"Spike? You okay buddy?"

Suddenly his vision cleared and his headache gone. Cloud blinked as he slowly gathered himself. He stared at his friend's worried face.

"I'm fine. Sorry. I'm going to go get ready for the upcoming mission." Cloud left Zack before he could demand more answers.

_That was her, wasn't it?_

_She claims to be my mother._

_Wait, she's still talking to you?_ Cloud frowned.

_For a moment after the initial contact. She didn't say much._

Suddenly Cloud was overcome with fury and jealousy. The intensity even surprised Sephiroth through their bond.

_Who is responsible for your mako injections?_

_Not Hojo. I don't pay attention to them. As long as it's not that vermin I don't give a shit. Why do you care anyway?_

_Your behavior is erratic, the typical signs of the injections either being too frequent or too high of a dose. It's come to the point Zack is phoning me now with the same concern._

"I can take care of myself just fine, damn it!" Cloud yelled out loud.

"Who are you talking to?" An unfamiliar voice interrupted his rant.

Cloud turned to see a man in a black suit. A Turk? His black hair long, past his shoulders and inquisitive brown eyes. Cloud internally panicked. During his outburst Sep ithiroth cut off contact, so Cloud wasn't sure which Turk he was dealing with and how to go about this. Yet he couldn't shake the feeling he should know this one.

"Uh... No one. Just got done being briefed on my next mission." Cloud wanted to smack himself. Way to go, he couldn't act normal to save his ass.

"Hm." The man studied him. "Nothing that you can't handle, right?"

"Of course not."

"Yet someone else had a different idea?"

"Why is it any of your business?" Cloud narrowed his eyes, the blues flashed green as they glowed.

"Now, now. There's no need for that. I'm not here to interrogate you."

"Then why the hell are we talking?"

"Because you're displaying the tell tale signs of the incorrect mako dosage. You just informed me that you have a future mission. It is my duty to ensure you don't become a danger to your friends on the field because of a dosage miscalculation."

"I'm perfectly fine!" As he yelled Cloud heard the footsteps. He was surrounded. "What the? The hell did you do!?"

"This wasn't my doing. Perhaps someone else reported you." The Turk eyes the men. "Think you can handle him?"

"We'll take care of him and bring him to the labs for a quick test."

"Like hell you'll ever touch me!" Cloud punched and kicked away the men. Guns were raised towards him, but then the Turk was a blur as he was suddenly behind the Third Class.

"Huh?" Caught off guard Cloud didn't have time to block him when the Turk hit a nerve to knock him out. His body went limb and the blonde collapsed. The Turk caught him in his arms.

_Tseng._ Cloud finally remembered the name as he blacked out.

xXx

"Hmm? A case of an over dosage? Been a while since we've come across that problem." Hojo made his way to the unconscious SOLDIER. "Where have I seen that face? Oh, right. The specimen Sephiroth took in."

Hojo glanced through the chart of the SOLDIER. In the notes it was noted the young man was sensitive to mako, but had enough in his system to have the dosage to that of an average First Class SOLDIER since he tolerated Third and Second Class too well for results. And yet it was too much for his erratic behavior to adjust.

"Let's take a sample, then." Hojo drew blood and began to analyze the sample.

"Hmm? S Cells are still intact and active. So that explains the behavior. Higher doses of mako when the body hasn't adjusted well enough turns them violent."

He was more or less talking to himself. His staff was well used to this by now. They worked in the background paying no mind to his thoughts. Hojo was in his own world as he pondered how to fix this problem. If he was even going to try. He was debating whether this boy would be considered another failure like before.

Hojo collected a small container. He wondered what sort of reaction this would be. Last time he introduced pure J Cells to this boy's blood sample the cells destroyed the sample entirely. But now with mako and S Cells, which acted as the bridge between pure J Cells and humans, it might have a different reaction. When injected with S Cells they just sat there and did nothing in the boy's blood stream.

Yet somehow within close proximity to Sephiroth the cells activated. Hojo could see them under the microscope. The S Cells had almost completely dominated the specimens original cells. So in theory pure J Cells shouldn't be as destructive as before.

Hojo studied through the microscope as he carefully inserted a small amount of J Cells. He had little left of the pure cells to use. Luckily when under the right circumstances the J Cells can replicate as they attached themselves to their host and merge. Just as they were doing now.

"My, my. Perhaps I had been too ready to discard him. This is a first success in years." Hojo chuckled to himself as he prepared for the actual injection. He studied the SOLDIER with leering excitement. For every possible Sephiroth clone the results weren't the same, so the possibilities of what the outcome would be were endless.

After the injection Hojo glanced over what the boy's next mission would be. It made him grin maniacally at the coincidence. The boy was set for Nibelheim with General Sephiroth.

"Send him back. The problem should be resolved before his next mission."

"Yes, sir."

A few hours later Cloud awoke in his own room. He felt weird and different. He couldn't place what was different about him. It was some instinct that his body was changing.

He quickly studied his body. There wasn't any outward difference. So he wasn't turning into some ghastly monster. Or degrating like Genesis. Cloud checked the time.

"Shit!" He grabbed his weapon and made a dash for it. He had just minutes before they were to be heading off.

With superhuman speed he made it to the helicopter. As he ran closer Cloud noted who was the pilot. He and Tseng shared a look. But he didn't have time to waste on the suit. Cloud jumped into the compartment just before the aircraft lifted up.

"Cloud! You okay?" Zack pulled him up. "For a second I thought you weren't gonna make it."

"Yeah. Yeah I'm fine." Cloud smiled at his friend. In return Zack grinned as they fist bumped.

"Glad to have my Spike back. Missed ya, buddy."

"I haven't gone anywhere." Cloud laughed. It good to have the old Zack again. He wasn't sure what he did wrong before that made his best friend change.

"Yeah, well. You kinda started to scare me. Anyway, let me finally introduce you. Sephiroth, this is my friend Cloud. Cloud, meet General Sephiroth."

Soon as their eyes met something within the pair changed. As they stared at each other it was as if they were in a trance. The moment didn't go by unnoticed by Zack or Tseng.

"Sorry, Sir. I won't be late again." Cloud was the first to recover. His nervousness played as meeting the one and only Demon of Wutai.

"If you wish to aim for First Class, then I'll hold you to that." Sephiroth crossed his arms.

"I suggest you two buckle in. It's going to be a long flight." Tseng suggested as they gained altitude. Beside them flew another helicopter with the small group of troopers assigned for them.

"Are we going all the way to Nibelheim?" Cloud asked as he sat down. He was disappointed Zack placed himself in between Cloud and Sephiroth.

"No. We'll be taking you to the town below the mountains. From there you and the troopers will travel by motor vehicle."

Cloud let out a long drawn out sigh.


	9. Nibelheim

Nibelheim didn't change. Not that much happened in this village, anyhow. But it was odd for Cloud to see it so soon. Then he cringed at the promise he made. And suddenly he wished he had opted out of this mission.

_Too late to turn back now._

At least the Third Class uniform did come with a helmet. Cloud found his and placed it over his head. He hated having his vision altered, but he was too embarrassed to see her. To see anyone, really.

"Huh? Why the helmet Spike? Aren't you glad to be back in your old town?" Zack frowned at the sight of the helmet. He recalled the last time he convinced Cloud to start doing missions without any helmets if it altered his vision.

"Not really." Cloud shook his head.

"How come?" Zack was more concerned.

"I... I'm not exactly popular." He glanced down. It was true.

"Then why not show off that you made it into SOLDIER?"

"It's not that easy. When no one understands you, they'll judge you no matter what you've achieved." Sephiroth explained. "I apologise for eavesdropping."

"It's fine, Sir. You explained it better than I ever could." Cloud was honest. "To be honest, I never thought I would come back here. Least of all for a mission."

"Isn't there anyone here that would feel proud of you?"

An image of his mother came to mind. And suddenly he didn't feel as scared.

"Yes, actually. My mother. If... If you guys would like to meet her, she's a good cook." Cloud was excited and nervous. Taking them to see his mother? It was almost like bringing back home a girl. He knew his mother would notice any small details and piece together a picture.

"Sure! I'm always down for some home cooked meals!" Zack was bursting with joy. "What about you, Seph? Will you join?"

_Would it please you if I came?_ Sephiroth pondered.

_She might catch on something is going on between us. But... I would love it if you met her anyways. If it's okay with you._ Cloud was a bundle of nerves.

"Once we're done scouting. I'll come."

Not much longer they were finally at their destination. Upon arrival Sephiroth was different. He would stare off into the distance. He wasn't the only one to hear the hum of something calling out to them. However Cloud was able to mostly stay focused.

That was until Tifa came forward to proudly proclaim herself as their guide.

"Huh? But we got ourselves a - " Zack was close to exposing his disguise and Cloud elbowed him. "I mean great! Care to show us the way to the reactor?"

"I'll give you the grand tour tomorrow. It's a little late in the day if we want to get back before nightfall." Tifa studied them. She seemed unimpressed with Sephiroth, despite his reputation. She was more focused on the First and Third Class.

"Do either of you happen to know someone?"

"Uh, like who?" Zack played it cool.

"Hmm. Nevermind. Follow me to the inn." She turned around and lead the way even though the building was in plain sight.

_Was she someone important to you?_ Sephiroth noted the interaction.

_Just a friend._ Cloud grew more nervous.

_I know when you're lying. You used to have a crush on her, didn't you?_

_Key word used to._ Cloud countered with venom in his voice. It was enough for them to drop it before an argument ensued.

A few hours later Cloud left alone to see how his mother was doing. He knew when she would be preparing dinner. So he figured it would be best to make sure she had enough portions for the unexpected visit. He knocked on the door nervously, then immediately removed his helmet.

"Hello? Oh, Cloud! It's so good to see you! My, how you've grown. Huh? Honey, your eyes." She noticed them immediately.

"It's the mako. It happens with all of us who make it into SOLDIER. Um, mom? Can I invite two of my friends over for dinner?"

"Only if you plan to help, young man. Come in and wash up. I've only just started the kitchen."

A short time later he called up Zack, telling him they could come over. At the sight of them his mother studied the pair with interest. Meanwhile, Zack was immediately interested in the food while Sephiroth studied her with equal interest. Her face was exactly the same as Cloud's. Hair longer into a ponytail. Eyes a deep sky blue.

"You're the general, aren't you? Cloud couldn't stop obsessing over you before he left." She giggled as Cloud choked on his food.

"Mom!" Cloud blushed when he cleared his airways.

"Oh, honey, I can tell something is going on. Would you boys mind giving me details?" Her gaze was on Sephiroth in particular.

"I assure you, nothing of that nature has happened. We're just friends. I've only just met Cloud recently."

"Excuse me, but how come you didn't ask me, ma'am?" Zack asked as he swallowed a mouthful.

"I can tell you got your heart on someone who will kill anyone who tries to touch you." Mrs. Strife winked at him. "You're a village boy, too? Your accent isn't like those city boys."

"Mhmm. Gongaga is my home." He proudly announced.

"Then it wouldn't be so hard for a girl to claim you." She once again turned her gaze on the general. "What about you?"

"I was actually born here. But shortly after, we were relocated to Midgar." It was a big revelation that made both Cloud and Zack stare at him.

"Anyone special caught your heart?"

"Well... There is someone. But lately they've been angry recently. I don't know how to approach without making the situation worse." His eyes darted towards Cloud for a split second.

_Are you serious?_ Cloud stared mouth open.

"I see. Trouble in paradise even for you? Excuse the teasing. How long has it been since you've done something nice for her?"

"..." His silence was answer enough.

"That's your problem. Figure out something nice for her then sweep her off her feet!"

Cloud stood up suddenly, bumping against the table and startled them. He was blushing deeply. Quickly he excused himself to the restroom before he made even more of a fool of himself.

"It's Cloud, isn't it?" Mrs. Strife wasted no time soon as her son left.

"Wait, what? When did this happen?" Zack glared at the general.

"You're their friend. And you didn't catch anything? Tut, tut. You need to up your game of catching on." Mrs. Strife reprimanded. "Let me guess, your girl is better at catching details while you're the muscle man?"

"Well... Yeah. She's taught me a few of her ways." Zack laughed nervously. "So, uh, care to explain Seph?"

"I'll explain later." Sephiroth didn't want to address that issue just yet. Right now he had a mother ready to jump him if given any reason to protect her son. "Mrs. Strife, I have no intentions on hurting him. I will admit I'm not very good in social standings, let alone a relationship. But he's someone I'm willing to protect on and off the field."

"Sometimes that's not what he needs. I understand why you have that need. He's so cute and adorable that I didn't want him to leave for Midgar. But I didn't stand in his way because I knew he would go whether I said no or not. Once he gets a goal in his head, nothing will stop him." Mrs. Strife sighed. "If I had known how much he would change for going, I would have found every reason for him not to."

"I apologise, ma'am." Sephiroth was sincere.

"But you know what? It eases my worries he's got you two looking out for him. So do me this favor? Don't let him lose himself into whatever you guys do as SOLDIER."

At her words Sephiroth and Zack shared a look. They both nodded in agreement. When Cloud finally rejoined the three of them acted like nothing ever happened. And the bond had still been cut off from Sephiroth's end so he wasn't willing to share what happened. Cloud shrugged it aside and let it go.

"Mind getting me up to date about you two?" Zack glared at his two best friends.

"Really? You should have seen it coming." Cloud glared back.

"Excuse me? Look who's keeping secrets! I've been nothing but an open book!"

"Except for not coming forward about the time Sephiroth and I were possessed! How else would I not trust you into knowing about my relationship?"

"Okay, fine. I'll give you that. But my hands are tied when it comes to the Turks. I can't just go on telling everyone what happened because then guess who becomes a target?"

"Tch. Yourself?" Cloud snarled.

"All of us! Trust me, I hate keeping secrets. But all I'm doing is to protect you!"

"I don't need protection! Not from either of you!" His eyes flashed green, then a hint of pink. Sephiroth and Zack shared a look. That wasn't the norm.

Soon as the pink appeared it was gone. Then the three of them were hit with a headache with ringing in their ears. Their vision blurred with green auras and static. The strange phenomenal happened for only a couple of seconds. But it was enough to put aside their argument and continue silently to the inn.


	10. Visions

That night whispers echoed in his dreams. He stood on top of Mt. Nibel, staring off into the distance. Then suddenly he could see all the way into Midgar from the mountain. Then above a fiery meteor closing in to destroy the city as the citizens ran in panic.

Above in the highest point of the city stood Sephiroth. But something was wrong with his face.

"You... You're not Sephiroth." Cloud didn't know how he broke through the mirage of the dream.

Suddenly the vision shattered like glass. He stood in a pool of mako up to his ankles. Before him stood a blue and purple woman, naked and deformed around her stomach area. Her long hair rivaled Sephiroth's. Eyes glowed pink as she stared him down. Suddenly she smirks.

Something about her was beautiful and terrifying.

"So, what do you think of the glorious vision?"

"And what happens after killing all those people?" Cloud furrowed his eyebrows. For the first time in days he had a moment of clarity. It was as if a veil of fog had been removed and he could think clearly.

She frowned at the inquiry.

"Are you not pleased? With their destruction, it would then be appropriate to destroy the rest of the planet. This is far too gone to become the perfect Paradise."

"Paradise?" Cloud was lost with her logic.

"Don't you see? They are taking the very life force of the planet. It would only be a matter of time before this planet is depleted and everything is gone. Why simply allow it to continue suffering? It would be kinder to put an end to it early."

She was so convinced of her decision that he had the inclination that nothing would stop her from accomplishing her goal. It only made him more afraid of her. As if se sensing this she tilts her head.

"You love my son, don't you?"

"Your son?"

"Sephiroth. The perfect son. He will be the living God who will cast punishment upon this dying planet. Then he will use this shell to traverse through the cosmos in search for the Promised Land."

"So he's becoming your weapon?"

"No. He will just continue where I left off."

"What does all of this have to do with me?"

"You don't approve?"

"No. There's still hope to fix the problem instead of wiping everyone out. That would just be a waste of effort to destroy everything." He was stern with his answer. "Plus, I don't see Sephiroth agreeing to this plan of yours willingly."

There was a tense moment of silence. Cloud felt the fear rise again as he watched her for any sign of movement. He couldn't read to what she was thinking to predict if he should run.

"Well... I had planned to allow you to remain yourself. But since you're not approving this plan," She stepped forward. In a blink of an eye her body changed to another woman. She had green eyes and long, brown hair. She wore a white long coat over her short dress.

Then in another step she suddenly changed again. This time she was Cloud. He gasped, taking a step back. No. He was real. She was only a mirror. This vision wasn't real. Still the idea of watching himself lean closer with a playful devilish smirk was terrifying.

_That's not my face._

"While I'm not entirely used to the idea of a man's body, I wouldn't mind using yours as my new host." Her/His smirk turned into a darkened smile.

"NO!" Cloud screamed as he bolted.

_That's not me!_

Then his head hurt as he collided with the floor. In seconds Zack and Sephiroth were in his room, behind them the recruits peered in confused and irritated.

Cloud panicked as arms helped him sit up. For a split second he still thought he was dreaming. He pushed as he tried to get away. He had to get away from her. Run far away as possible.

"Cloud! Spike! Hey, hey calm down." Zack's voice snapped him out of it.

"Zack? Sephiroth?" Cloud trembled as relief flooded through him. He opened his eyes to see them hovering over him. At the realization that even now in the waking world he wouldn't be safe from her, Cloud began to cry.

_You're safe, Cloud._

"It's okay. It's okay. We got ya buddy." Zack pulled him into a brotherly hug.

_Not from her._

"You lot go back to bed." Sephiroth gave the order to the troopers.

"Yes, sir." They were more than happy to catch up on some sleep. They closed the door behind them.

_Her? _Sephiroth inquired curiously.

"Did something happen? What's going on?" The mayor knocked on the door a few minutes later.

"We're okay! Someone had a nightmare." Zack replied when no help came from the general.

"Oh. Is there anything I can help with?"

"Can I get some water?" Cloud whispered. By now he had calmed down enough to sniffles.

"Ah, yeah! Can you grab us a glass of water?"

The mayor left for the task. Zack let go of the hug when Cloud pulled away. He looked away in shame for crying in the first place. It had been so long since he last cried.

_What a baby._

_You're not a baby. What's gotten into you to think this way?_ Sephiroth heard his thoughts.

_Oh, you're one to talk._ Cloud almost snapped out loud. He blinked as Zack started talking again.

"Hey, you okay buddy? You're staring off into space, there."

"Huh? Yeah. I'm good. I'm sorry." He was apologizing to Sephiroth for his words.

_You don't know the half of what goes on inside my head._ Sephiroth countered. For a brief moment he shared the memories of his loss for Angeal, and the hurt betrayal of Genesis.

_You're right. I'm sorry. I don't know what's become of me._

_You're forgiven._

There was a knock on the door. Sephiroth went over to open it. It wasn't the mayor who brought the glass however. There was the slightest hint of a frown at his displeasure of the sight of Tifa.

"Here's the glass." She held it out to him. "So, who had the nightmare?"

"Good night." He closed the door as she tried to peer around him.

"Word travels fast, you know. I would at least like to see my friend." She spoke through the door. It seemed like she would wait there until they responded, but the sound of her boots receding down the stairs indicated otherwise. "You know where to find me, Cloud."

"Fan of yours?" Zack chuckled playfully.

"Nice try. But, no." Cloud accepted the glass and took down a few gulps.

"Okay, spill the beans. What's going on between you and her?" Zack crossed his arms.

"She was my first friend. Even though no one else liked me."

"What do you mean?"

"Well... Back when we were kids, her mother died. And there was this legend that on the other side of Mt. Nibel, is where you can see your loved ones. She thought if she went, she would see her mother." Cloud glanced down at the glass. It had been a while since he remembered those days.

"It didn't go well." Sephiroth guessed.

"No. We came to a bridge. Everyone was too scared to cross. She kept going. I heard a snap. I ran to grab her but the bridge gave way. I held on as long as I could to her and the rope of the bridge. But we were kids. So we fell."

"What happened?"

"I woke up miraculously fine. But she wouldn't wake up. She was in a coma for a while. Everyone thought she wouldn't wake up. I was blamed for it all. And that's the story of why I'm not too popular around here." Cloud glanced up at them.

"So you guys became friends anyways?"

"Yeah, even though everyone still hated me. I didn't understand. I still don't. Why she would like me when everyone else hated me. Mother almost had us move out of town. But then Tifa told everyone to buzz off. So we didn't have to move. But I was still number one enemy."

_She admires you. Call it a hero complex. It can happen when someone thinks they love the one who saved them from certain death. It's almost a way of worship in behavior during some cases. _Sephiroth explained.

_Sounds like you've had your fair share of that experience._

_Let's not go into that._

"No wonder you didn't want to come back." The lieutenant connected the dots. "So then why accept the mission?"

"Because...It's the first one they assigned me to be on the same mission as Sephiroth." The Third Class tentatively glanced up at the general.

There was a warmth in his eyes that made Cloud's heart dance.


	11. Burn

The next morning Cloud awoke groggy and exhausted. He shook it off as best he could. But now the feeling of the fog was back over his mind and now that he was aware of it, it only annoyed him.

_What's wrong?_ Sephiroth sensed his unease.

_Do you have vivid dreams of a woman going on about destroying the planet?_ Cloud knew whoever she was, she called him her son.

_No? Are you sure you're well enough for this mission?_ He seemed more concerned of Cloud's well being.

_I'll be fine. First, I gotta see an old friend before she gets too impatient and breaks down the door._ Cloud played off his joke. He knew Tifa wouldn't do that, but it had been a while since he saw her. For all he knew she could have changed.

He made his way downstairs. Cloud glanced around the tables, only to catch her making fresh coffee. She turned upon hearing his footsteps and smiled.

"Oh, hey! I was wondering if I would see you today. Finally got over being shy?" Tifa greeted him.

"Yeah. Sorry. For not saying anything sooner. I hadn't made it to First Class yet." His laugh played out as awkward.

"Is that why you hid your face? Jeez, you know it wouldn't be such a big deal. At least you're a SOLDIER, right?"

"I guess?" Now Cloud felt stupid.

"So. Do you guys still want me to guide you up the mountain, or do you have good memory?" Tifa saw another SOLDIER arrive behind Cloud, and changed the subject.

"Actually, Cloud will be staying behind while Zack and I have a look at the reactor." Sephiroth explained.

"Huh? This wasn't in the briefing." Cloud frowned at the general.

"They didn't tell you? There were Genesis sightings around the area. We need someone to to keep an eye out in the village while we're at the reactor." Sephiroth was equally disturbed.

_How am I supposed to fight him off?_ Cloud heard stories from Zack a few times. Genesis had a way of keeping even the lieutenant on his toes.

_It's only a precautionary measure. He will most likely follow me and Zack._

_Then why do I have to stay behind?_ Cloud frowned at the idea. It didn't make sense.

_He's destroyed a whole town before. It is unclear if he'll strike again to target this village._

And so Cloud left it at that. He watched them leave with a heavy heart. They took two of the troopers with them, leaving the other two to support Cloud in the village. The entire day was uneventful for the three as they patrolled the village.

It wasn't until well past dark when the group returned. Cloud had debated whether to go and check on them, but just as he was getting ready to leave they returned. And short one trooper.

"What happened?" Cloud noticed a lot of details at once. Sephiroth was distant and deep in thought. Zack was disturbed and sad. Tifa seemed exhausted and immediately left to shower. The trooper lowered his head.

"The bridge fell apart. Sephiroth and the trooper fell. We saved his dog tags to return to his family." Zack held up the standard military dog tags handed out to everyone, even SOLDIERs.

"It's why we were late coming back. We had to find another route down the mountain."

"Anything on the reactor?" He didn't know how to respond to the loss. Cloud grieved, but he couldn't shake the feeling something else happened.

"Well... Genesis showed up. And we didn't find anything wrong with the reactor. Although there was this weird statue of a lady in the back." Zack shrugged. He didn't seem bothered by that detail. He was stuck on the death of one of their own.

Cloud was disturbed. A vision of the woman from his nightmare came to mind. He didn't understand why he made that connection, but he recalled how the dream started with him on the top of Mt. Nibel, the same spot where the reactor was located.

_Is that where she's hiding?_ Cloud wondered to himself. He noticed how Sephiroth closed off the link between their minds. The general silently made his way upstairs, presumably to his room.

"You two hungry? I saved you guys some food." Cloud offered Zack and the trooper.

"No, thanks. I think I'll go to bed." The trooper shook his head. It was understandable to be shaken.

"I'll eat if you sit with me." Zack wanted to talk.

"So what's this about?" Cloud went straight to the point once they sat down at a table as Zack ate.

"Sephiroth started acting weird at the reactor. I don't really know how to explain it." The lieutenant explained.

"Cold and keeping to himself you mean?" The blonde noticed the change real quick.

"Yeah. And it was before Genesis showed up."

Now Cloud was beginning to feel that his theory was correct. And as days passed Sephiroth grew more distant. He started to spend time reading document after document in the basement of the mansion that had once been Hojo's lab during his stay at Nibelheim.

The feeling in his gut wouldn't go away. In fact it grew stronger the longer Sephiroth spent in the mansion. So one night he snuck out while Zack and the remaining troopers were asleep. He made the treck up the mountain to the reactor.

The old reactor stood looming ominously. Parts of the metal rusted, but it remained in decent condition despite the harsh conditions of the mountain. Cloud entered and to his horror he discovered the dead bodies of monsters inside weird tanks.

Swallowing the growing fear he continued to the back, where Zack had described the weird statue. It was a woman with pipes, tubes and wires connected to it. Sprouting from her shoulders were metal wings. Suddenly he could feel the familiar cold presence of her.

"I knew it was you." Cloud stepped closer. His head buzzed with a pounding headache, his vision grew fuzzy.

_Reunion..._

"It'll take more than that." He grunted as he forced his legs to move. Cloud gripped the handle of his sword.

**_REUNION. DESTROY. ESCAPE._**

The Third Class SOLDIER felt like his entire body was made of lead. Yet he willed himself to keep going. He thought of how she wanted to use Sephiroth. Cloud wasn't going to let it happen.

**_NEUTRALIZE. DESTROY. ENEMY._**

He could sense her grip on Sephiroth increase by the second. Cloud grit his teeth. He had to succeed. No matter what he had to succeed. He was close enough to the statue for his sword to reach. It felt heavier than Zack's Buster Blade. Still he raised the standard ShinRa weapon and sliced at the wires.

It took a few more hacks and slashes for the metal to crash down into the pool of unfiltered mako down below. By now the weight was the heaviest yet in his body. Cloud struggled to remain on his feet. He flinched as she let out a scream in his head. He opened his eyes to stare at her.

She was in the first body that she had shown in his dream. Her pink eyes stared at him, dead to the world and yet still seeing. He couldn't imagine what it was like to live on like that. It would explain why she was driven mad. Or perhaps she had always been that way. He wouldn't know.

After gathering his breath he raised his sword to slash at the glass. It only took one slice for the glass to shatter and the liquid inside splashing everywhere. Her body slumped a little, no longer suspended in liquid. But the tubes connected to her held her up still. However Cloud lost his strength to hold his sword. It fell down into the bright mako.

_Great. Now what?_ Cloud wondered. He could sense Sephiroth was in a panic, not quite unsure whether to listen to her or not. But their link was cut off. Was it her doing?

Then he recalled the materia in his pocket. He pulled it out. Firaga. He had carried this since Zack gave it to him in his trooper days. He wasn't supposed to use materia, but it came in handy in some missions. And from there he was able to level it to maximum. Cloud concentrated as he focused. The heat rose in his hand as the magic activated.

"Burn!" He casted the spell.

She let out a terrible primal scream as her body burned. It was so strong Cloud collapsed while his body shook. It seemed as if it would go on forever. Suddenly he could feel her presence invading his body. His body contorted in pain as every cell vibrated and tingled.

**_HOST. DESTROY. SURRENDER._**

"GET OUT OF MY HEAD!" Cloud yelled out.

She tried to activate the materia again. She wanted to burn him. With every ounce of his strength Cloud threw it into the mako below. He hated to lose it, but if it was forever lost then she couldn't use it. In that moment it seemed as if he won when his body stilled and he was in control again.

Cloud laid there gathering his breath. It felt as if he fought an entire army by himself. However she wasn't done yet. The link between him and Sephiroth was finally connected. And he gasped in horror as he saw through Sephiroth's eyes.

"No, no no no no no no!" He cried out.

Before them Nibelheim burned. Sephiroth left the house of Mrs. Strife last. He knew Cloud was watching.

"Sephiroth!"

_You destroyed my mother. I'll be returning the favor._ Sephiroth stabbed her. She screamed, then gurgled at her own blood before her body went limb. Cloud released a cry of grief and pain. The sound echoed through the entire reactor.


	12. Unlikely Allies

The fire Cloud had started to destroy the woman began to spread. The ceiling and walls caught fire, but not the floor. Cloud drifted in and out of consciousness. His head spun and vision blurry. He couldn't make out any distinctive details whenever he opened them. So he kept them closed.

At one point the heat was too much. Somehow he found the strength to crawl. Cloud could still sense her presence as she continued her attempt to take control over him. With nowhere to escape the smoke swirled around inside the reactor. Cloud coughed as he slowly became more aware of his need to escape.

He made it to the doorway onto the stairs that lead to the room of contained monsters. It was then Cloud lost his remaining strength. He laid there, dizzy from the smoke and her power as she took advantage of his despair. As she did so he saw flashes of her memories and finally learned her name.

Jenova. The calamity of an alien species that crashed onto the planet. She invaded an Ancient and took control of her. Then she sought the destruction of the world. Her plan didn't work and she ended up locked away, not fully dead but unable to move.

Then Hojo discovered her. From there were a string of events leading to Sephiroth's birth. She had watched Dr. Lucretia Crescent's love affair, then breaking it off. Her pregnancy. Her disappearance as Jenova attempted to take control of her, just as she was doing now with him.

_I need to move._ Cloud opened his eyes. It was so hard to breathe. He weakly coughed, but it only made it worse.

As he continued to see her memories he grew confused. He couldn't tell if he was her, or if she was him. There didn't seem to be any difference anymore. Why was he fighting again? Who was he? Or she? Confusion swept through as he/she tried to figure out which and who they were.

_No time to waste. Must escape._ But how? This body wouldn't move. The lungs and throat burned from the heavy smoke. Eyes watered but did little help to ease the stinging pain. There was little hope. They could sense Sephiroth's approach, but he wouldn't make it in time. Therefore there was nothing to do but accept the end was here.

Suddenly arms held him in a gentle embrace. In that moment he had a moment of clarity and remembered who he was. The change of gravity almost made Cloud throw up. He groaned and instead leaned his face into the uniform. It smelled different. Not like Zack or Sephiroth. For some reason this didn't make him panic.

Soon they were outside of the reactor. Relief filled Cloud as he finally breathed fresh air. Finally he was safe. He almost surrendered to slumber.

"Hey. Stay awake. You must fight her off." A voice encouraged.

_Huh? Who is this?_ Cloud didn't recognize the voice. And yet it was strangely familiar. It was a struggle to open his eyes. But he caught sight of greying hair and pale eyes.

_Genesis?_

"I would appreciate it if you return him to me." Sephiroth appeared, voice dark. His presence made Cloud want to go to him. He wiggled in the embrace that held him. But his strength was still greatly diminished after destroying Jenova's first host.

"I don't think so." Genesis spread his wing out.

_What was going on? Why wouldn't Genesis hand me over?_ Cloud was too much in a daze to think. He had given up trying to reunite with Sephiroth when he began to drift in and out of consciousness. It was difficult to keep track of what was happening around them.

Another figure appeared. Cloud recognized the mayor's voice. In an instant he was cut down by Sephiroth. With the distraction Genesis took flight. Afraid of falling Cloud hung onto the rogue Ex-SOLDIER. However before they got too far Sephiroth casted a Blizzard. It was a successful hit.

Genesis almost crashed, but just seconds before impact he managed to frantically use his wing to steady them. It worked twice as hard as they ascended. Cloud could distantly hear Zack's voice as he confronted the general.

The next few moments were a blur to Cloud. One minute they narrowly escaped Sephiroth and flying through the air. The next they were crashing through a roof. The ice spell had frozen the black wing and they fell.

The speed at which they fell made them fall through the roof. The floorboards shuddered upon impact. Then with a resounding crack the floor gave way under them. Cloud barely had time to react as they fell again. This time they landed in the basement. Genesis crash landed on one of the coffins to soften his landing, with Cloud crossing over his stomach.

"You're welcome," Genesis groaned in pain. It was hard to tell if he was sarcastic or really was being an outright bastard.

The last thing Cloud remembered was a golden claw reaching upwards from inside the coffin.

xXx

Vincent had a difficult time processing the sight before him. He had pushed through the remaining top of his coffin and thus the invading bodies fell to the floor with a groan and thump. One of them was still miraculously awake.

With silent movements Vincent leaped out of what was once his resting space. He turned to study the two bodies that made an unfortunate crash landing. A blonde SOLDIER, either Third or Second Class, and a First Class with a crimson leather coat. Attached to his left shoulder was a long, black wing.

Something was wrong with this SOLDIER. His hair color was almost depleted. Eyes pale and almost the color of one after someone died. Those pale eyes blinked up at him with confusion. Over the pair of them the remnants of an ice spell was still in effect.

"Who are you?" The crimson warrior gasped out.

"... I should be asking you the same." He was hesitant to give out his name. He had no idea how much time had passed.

"Genesis Rhapsodos, if that means anything to you."

"Not really." Vincent admitted. He motioned to the blonde. "And him?"

"I have no idea. I only saved him from the reactor. Then we tried to escape Sephiroth." The spell was beginning to lose its effect and Genesis slowly sat up, gently rolling the unconscious SOLDIER into his lap.

_Sephiroth?_ Vincent pondered at the name. It couldn't be a coincidence.

"Why would you escape?" He inquired.

"He lost his mind to her. Jenova. This one, destroyed her body." Genesis pointed at the blonde. "Now she's trying to control him as host. I think. Not entirely positive on that theory."

This was certainly disturbing news. Vincent watched as the wing gently flapped the remaining ice off the feathers. After admiring the feathered appendage Vincent studied the other young man's face.

_He destroyed her?_ He had his doubts, but he was impressed all the same.

Suddenly Genesis jerked. He looked upwards as fear took over his face. Then he turned to Vincent.

"Please, can you help me? If we let them reunite, she will have his body as a new host. I can't bring myself to see that happen."

He had the same cells as Sephiroth and the boy. Yet he was dying slowly. It was as if the cells connected them in such a way to that of a hive. And Vincent didn't like the idea of the Queen Bee emerging and fully functional. But there was a catch.

"First, tell me something."

"What is it you wish?" Genesis caught on.

"Is Hojo still alive?"

"Tch. That old man isn't willing to kick the bucket yet. Why, got a score to settle with him? If so, I can help you with that. It might take some time, though. If I survive from my body dying."

"... Then you have yourself a deal."


	13. Five Years

Five years. Cloud was dreaming and yet aware of his surroundings on occasion. When he was asleep he saw all the memories of Jenova. Even the memories of her before she became a host. He saw her become a mother. He saw her become the evil that disgraced her race.

He saw Jenova almost completely destroy the planet. Then the Ancients and humans came together and defeated her. But the cost was most of the Ancients dying out. Jenova was put into a slumber inside the mountain with the hope to never be discovered.

He watched as she watched the years of her inside the lab. Then after Lucretia's disappearance Hojo took Sephiroth and left. Jenova was placed inside the mako reactor in case any curious mind of the village decided to venture inside the mansion.

When he wasn't dreaming he was awake, but not enough to open his eyes. It was like he became aware of his surroundings without actually seeing. He knew the two watching over him were Genesis and Vincent. Cloud would hear snippets of their conversations. Other times he would leave his dreams when one of them returned to his side.

Cloud enjoyed hearing Genesis' voice as he read poetry. He found it endearing and almost made his heart ache. But he reminded himself there was someone else meant for him.

When Vincent watched over him there was only silence. They could sense each other's presence. Vincent probably suspected that Cloud was aware, but didn't make any attempts to awaken him. And Cloud was grateful for it.

He was still taking in Jenova but somehow she wasn't the one taking over. Instead Cloud was absorbing her. He could feel every cell within his body change one by one. He was no longer considered human, yet he wasn't an Ancient even though his cells were remarkably similar to her first host body.

As he neared completion he realized he had a web connecting him to both Vincent and Genesis. Cloud could sense where they were no matter the distance. He tried to reach beyond them. He could faintly sense Zack, but he was out of reach. Something was interfering. He reached out again and found Sephiroth in a deep slumber inside a giant mako crystal.

_Cloud?_ Sephiroth stirred.

_Sephiroth? You're not under her control anymore?_ The blonde was more than relieved.

_I can hear her. But it's faint. She has another body she's trying to control. But I get the feeling if she succeeds, then it would be harder to resist_.

_Can you move?_ Cloud had a feeling on who it might be.

_I cannot. I think once something is given to me is when I can escape this mako prison._

_Okay.__ Stay put. I'll see what I can do in the meantime._

_Cloud?_ His voice seemed hesitant.

_Yes, Sephiroth?_

_Be careful._

_I__ will._ Cloud opened his eyes for the first time in five years.

xXx

Somehow Genesis made a full recovery from his dying body. It was explained to Cloud he had been given some of his cells, and it reversed the effects. After his recovery Genesis and Vincent hadn't been idle in the five years of Cloud's slumber. They would gather information and venture as close as they could to Midgar. Since Genesis was too recognizable he preferred to stay away from Midgar, but happily went to other towns and a few times dared to enter Junon.

The reports stated that Sephiroth perished in an accident. The destruction of Nibelheim was covered up. The buildings were rebuilt the same as they were. But the people weren't the same. They were paid to live there and deny anything related to Nibelheim burning or that they weren't originally from there.

Cloud Strife was considered M.I.A. Eventually that was changed to a proclamation of death. It had been so long since he was seen the assumption was that he didn't survive with Genesis. He too, was declared dead. But that didn't mean his face wasn't unrecognizable.

Since no one saw Vincent escape the village with two people in tow he had the most ability to scout well within Midgar. With his past as a Turk, he easily snuck through the security systems ShinRa placed. Although he had yet to dare to enter the ShinRa building. He knew they needed a well executive plan.

Zack Fair had gone off radar. And recently he was proclaimed dead as well. However, Vincent picked up rumors. Under the plate there was talk of a mercenary. A former SOLDIER working to help everyone no matter the how odd the job was. And on top of that he might be connected with the new rebellious group AVALANCHE. This so called terrorists were set on destroying the reactors one by one. They had successfully destroyed Reactor 01 and 05.

"Do you know who the members are?" Cloud asked the Ex-Turk.

"No. The people under the plate either hate them, or too close knit to out any suspects."

"Surely ShinRa knows." Cloud found it odd the company hadn't made any counter strikes yet.

"From what I've gathered, they're using them as propoganda to continue the war against Wutai." Vincent explained.

"So turning the tide of the rebellion and making a profit out of it. Clever."

"Classic ShinRa at it's finest." Genesis added.

"I have a feeling ShinRa will retaliate soon. I didn't get enough intel when one of their Turks almost caught onto me."

"You? But you were one of the best." Cloud raised an eyebrow. Vincent was taken aback with how much Cloud knew.

"... This Turk almost rivals me in skills. All he needs is more experience. And not to be so blinded to the ShinRa heir."

"ShinRa's son?" Genesis snickered. "That brat did have ambition bigger than Sephiroth's ego."

"You knew him?"

"Got stuck as a babysitter once. It was a waste of time since nothing happened while Sephiroth took care of the threat."

"They didn't give you your moment of glory, did they?" Cloud concluded.

"Nope. If Sephiroth and Zack were still in the company, Zack would have said fuck this shit, too."

"If he's part of AVALANCHE, how do we go about winning their trust?" Cloud wondered out loud. He couldn't imagine a group to be so willing to let so many outsiders in their circle. The more the people the more the secret will get out.

"If Zack is among them, then he just needs to see our faces. Yours or mine, and he'll come running." Genesis suggested casually.

"He might try and fight you. With that it might raise the alarm that you're alive to ShinRa." Vincent pointed out.

"Then I'll sign up. I think I know who to approach first to locate him."

"What? Who are you talking about? He's got no family. No one really as a friend." Genesis narrowed his eyes.

"What about a secret girlfriend?"


	14. New Family

He entered the church in Sector 5. Cloud felt the hum of the planet strong here. It was so peaceful he could almost sleep here forever in peace.

"Who's there?" A voice called out. "Wait... Cloud?"

He turned to her and smiled. Gone was the white and blue dress, instead a pink one with a red half jacket. Brown worn boots. Hair still in the same braid. Cloud couldn't help but stare at the pink ribbon.

_So that's where that one is. But where's the opposite one?_ Cloud shook those questions out of his head. He wasn't going to listen to Jenova.

"Been a while, hasn't it?" Cloud walked closer. He noticed how she seemed scared. He stopped.

"What's wrong?" He tilted his head.

"You... You changed." In her eyes she saw him different than the first time they met. His body had matured, yet somehow retained some feminine aspects that if under the right lighting, different clothes and hint of make up then he would be a girl. And the cherry on top were his eyes. They were deep blues.

"What, do I not look better than before dear sister?" He knew she sensed that change as well.

"...What are you?" She was on guard now.

"Isn't it obvious? We're family now. Don't worry, I'm nothing like her. So, we gonna keep playing these silly games or are we going to talk for real?" He grew tired of this.

For a moment they stared each other. Waiting for the other to make the first move. Suddenly the doors of the church opened and infantryman entered. Cloud looked over his shoulder. Behind the troopers was a Turk.

Red hair. Black suit turned sexy. The revealing uniform made Cloud stare.

_Don't even think about it._ Sephiroth hissed.

_What's the matter? One can't admire from afar?_

_I said don't._ He snarled.

_Okay, okay. So insecure._ Cloud rolled his eyes.

"Hey! Don't be rolling your eyes at me, buddy! Anyways, be a gentleman and hand over the little lady would ya? She's comin' home with us." The Turk was all confidence.

"And if I don't?" Cloud teased with a smirk.

Something about his expression threw the Turk off. It brought back memories long pushed back of a certain general. His instincts kicked in. Cloud could see the gears working in his head. The changes in his body must have been enough the Turk didn't immediately recognize him.

"You... You're supposed to be dead." The redhead glared.

_Oh? He knows of me? Well then._

"Do I look dead, honey?" He couldn't help but laugh.

"Get them!" The Turk ordered. "He's weaponless, take him down!"

"Who said I had no weapon?" Cloud couldn't help himself. Out of thin air Masamune materialized.

The troopers stopped advancing. They recognized the iconic blade. Cloud smirked once again and his eyes were bright with an animalistic excitement. The expression made the Turk shiver. Yet despite this he activated his weapon.

"Heh... Guess I'll have to do it myself, ya? The name's Reno. You better remember it cuz I'll be takin' you down." The redhead put up a brave face.

"Give me your best shot, honey." Cloud was having way too much fun getting under the Turk's nerves.

Needless to say the fight ended in Cloud's favor. Reno did prove to be an opponent who can keep him on his toes. But in the end he was no match. He taunted the Turk with his new nickname as Cloud followed Aerith. As the running pair made their way to the ceiling of the broken down church to escape, the blonde sensed Vincent's approach was close at hand.

_Don't let them see you. Especially the redhead Turk._ Cloud warned.

_Good to know._ Vincent replied.

Turns out his help wasn't needed. They had escaped from Reno's infantrymen. As Aerith and Cloud climbed the rooftops Vincent kept his distance as a look out in case the Turks called in air support.

"So you going to tell me where you've been these last five years?" Aerith glared at him, hands at her hips.

"Asleep in a coma fighting off Jenova. She tried to use me as her new host."

"Jenova? Is she the Ancient you got your...powers from?" She didn't have any other word to describe his change. It also made Cloud realize that even though she could listen to the Lifestream, she didn't know all that went on in the world.

_Perhaps she hasn't had the chance to explore her abilities? She does seem to be under the protection of the Turks._ Vincent theorized.

"Yes. But she became infected. By an alien of some sort that came from a small meteor. Now Jenova seeks the end of the world."

"So where do you fit in all of this then?"

"Stopping her of course. I have to locate the remaining body she is currently trying to forcefully take control over and destroy the poor unfortunate soul being tortured by her."

"And she won't take control of you after you accomplish that?"

"I spent five years in a coma so she wouldn't have my body. So, do you have any ideas where Zack is?"

"What are you talking about? Tseng told me he died." Aerith stopped as the shock of the question almost made her stumble.

"You mean he didn't come find you?" Cloud frowned. This was worrisome. It hindered their plans a little. If he hadn't been seen by Reno then there wouldn't be any pressure on them to act fast.

"No? Oh, that boy! When I find him I'll give him a piece of my mind!" Aerith stomped one boot. "I knew I shouldn't have trusted Tseng's word!"

_What have I done?_ Suddenly Cloud felt more terrified of whatever she had planned to get back at her old boyfriend.


	15. Old Friend

"Why do I have to stay behind and be guarded by someone in the shadows, whom I've never met?"

This was an ongoing argument for two days straight. Cloud was losing patience and he felt the urge to scout the slums grow stronger by the minute. Vincent scouted ahead of him, but it would still be better if he could take a load off the Ex-Turk.

There was just one problem.

"Because I need to be unseen by any Turks now that they're going to be on the look out for me. And you. By separating they won't take both of us at once, then the other can warn Zack and operate a rescue mission." Cloud simplified his reasoning as best he could.

"And do you happen to know your way around in the Slums? Or how anything works down here?"

_She has a point._ Vincent finally added his input.

"Not helping." Cloud groaned out loud.

"Let me guess, your friend agrees with me?"

_I do agree. _

"Nope."

"I know you're lying." She crossed her arms with a knowing look.

Finally, Cloud rolls his eyes and sighed. Aerith knew she won at that moment. She smiled in such a way that reminded Cloud a little of Sephiroth in one of his endearing moments when he finally got what he wanted.

"Now that wasn't so hard, was it?"

"Just promise me one thing. If I ever tell you to run for safety, you'll do it."

"Depending on the situation, I'll think about it."

"I mean it, sister." Cloud glared.

"Why do you call me that anyway?"

"You're distracting yourself from making the promise. But if you must know, we are in some ways, the same. Just... Different bodies yada yada, you're the real deal and I'm a freak science experiment."

_Excuse me?_ Genesis spoke for the first time in days. With the arguing with Aerith started he shut his end of the connection. Until the phrase 'freak science experiment' was heard.

_I resent that observation._ Vincent's voice through the link was dark.

_I didn't mean it like that. C'mon guys. No matter what even if I can reach the same potential as her, I'm not the same._

_And why should you want to be the same? So far you've shown you can reverse our effects. I have yet to see her pull that off._ Genesis was a little one sided.

_But... If I'm not human... And I'm not Ancient... Then what am I? _

Neither of them had any answers to that.

"You doing okay in there? You stared off into space again." Aerith waved a hand in front of his face.

"Yeah. Sorry. I need to get used to multitasking." Cloud really had a knack of making everything awkward. Becoming something like Jenova without the evil intentions to destroy everything changed his body, but not his social ability. He was beginning to understand why Sephiroth had moments of being odd.

"If you're so sure. Let's go have a search for Zack. I need to give him a piece of my mind." Aerith huffed. She really was determined to hand it to the man.

_I had searched all of Sector 6. I have yet to pass into Sector 7._ Vincent informed. He hadn't been idle at least as Cloud and Aerith argued.

"Do you know how to get to Sector 7?" Cloud berated himself. Aerith lived in Sector 6. Of course she would know.

"There's the direct route with the gates that can be opened on the other side. Or, the abandoned underground highway."

_Has the gates been active?_ Cloud asked Vincent. He knew the man was closer to them.

_No. I've been waiting for a while now._

"I guess underground tunnel. Mind if my friend follows?" Cloud said.

_What about being lookout?_ Vincent was suddenly nervous.

_What, are you shy? If a situation comes and I'm incapable, she needs to know your face._

_It's not like I blend in. _

_Just come along please. _

"Sure. I would really like to meet this friend who takes up so much of your time than talking to me." Aerith pouted with her hands on her hips.

_You heard the lady._ Cloud chuckled. He heard a mental sigh from Ex-Turk.

xXx

Aerith studied the man curiously. If she had known he would stand out, then she would have said along the lines of this friend didn't have to go along with them. But she supposed this was better. This meant Cloud wouldn't be distracted when talking to someone else in his head.

"Okay! Let's get going. I'll lead the way. I'm sure Cloud already told you, but my name is Aerith."

"...Vincent." He wasn't used to anyone being so friendly. Most people he met under the plate either scurried away from him or stared in a mix of fear and awe.

"Well, it's good to meet you Vincent! Shall we get going?"

"The sooner the better." Cloud was more than anxious to be on the move.

It was early evening when they finally reached Sector 7. Cloud stretched his arms as he breathed in the fresher air. The Slums air quality wasn't that great but it was better than the condensed atmosphere of the underground highway.

"So, do we split up or stick together?" Cloud turned to his friends.

"I vote not splitting up. We came here together we stick together." Aerith reasoned.

"While it would be quicker if we split up, but it would be better if Zack saw all of us to know we're allies." Vincent agreed with her.

"Then let's have a look around." Cloud lead the way.

They wandered around aimlessly to have a better understanding of this sector. The people stayed out of their way and kept to themselves. However some eyed Cloud at his altered Third Class uniform. They weren't afraid however, but seemed more like how strikingly similiar to someone else.

"They're curious about me." Cloud voiced his observation.

"Perhaps you could be mistaken as Zack's brother." Aerith presumed. "You do look like you could be his younger brother, you know. That was my first thought when we first met."

"Maybe." Cloud couldn't really see it.

"Excuse me? Are you...?" A familiar voice asked the group from behind. They all turned to see a woman with long black hair, white crop top and short black skirt. Adorning her hands were fighting gloves.

"Tifa?" Cloud recognized her.

"Cloud? It is you! They said you were dead!" She beamed, almost crying.

"Well, I'm alive and kicking." Cloud smirked triumphly. "I didn't know there were any survivors from the village."

"As far as I know, I thought I was the only one besides Zack."

"Zack? Do you know where he is?" Aerith grew excited.

"Um, who are you guys?" Tifa was suddenly on guard.

"This is Aerith and Vincent. Vincent is part of the reason I'm alive. Aerith here is on the run from the Turks."

"And Zack's former girlfriend. I was told he was dead, then find out he's alive and hasn't come find me! So I've got a thing or two to say to him."

"Wow... Well, I don't know if he's at the bar, but I can take you guys there." Tifa was trying to process everything. "But right after I have to check something out."

"What's wrong?" Cloud sensed something was off. She was hiding something.

"... I'll tell you at the bar." Tifa promised.

_Think she's AVALANCHE?_ Vincent was thinking the same thing.

_She does have motive. Our homes and families died because of ShinRa. Sephiroth can't be held accountable so she would set her goal on the whole company._ Cloud was beginning to understand even though he had a sense of what was happening in the world, he didn't know enough details to catch if anyone he knew was still around.


	16. AVALANCHE

Tifa lead them to Seventh Heaven. It was in the middle of the whole Sector 7. She strolled on in and the three of them followed her. Cloud noticed four people, a girl with brown hair in a ponytail, a man with black hair, a big bulky man with a gun for an arm and an overweight man sitting in various tables.

_AVALANCHE. ShinRa is searching for a man with a gun for an arm._ Vincent mentioned the detail he picked up from rumors.

_Well this didn't take long._ Cloud felt his anxieties melt away. Perhaps they could still be one step ahead of the company.

"Hey, guys. This is Cloud, we grew up in the same village. These two are his friends Aerith and Vincent. She's on the run from Turks. Is it all right she hides out here until the coast is clear?" Tifa asked, giving the group a reason to trust the new faces.

"We ain't taking anymore people. The less the better." The big man huffed.

"C'mon, Barrett! If she's on the run from the Turk, then why can't we help?" The girl with brown hair bounded to Aerith. It was noted she had a slight limo from a leg injury. "Feel free to make yourself at home! Anyone running from the company is a friend of ours!"

"Thank you!" Aerith beamed, taking the not so full truth Tifa presented with stride.

"The name's Jessie." She smiled. Then one by one she introduced the others. "That is Biggs, Wedge and of course, Barrett."

"Howdy." Biggs waved.

"Nice to meet you! Hey, you're a survivor like Tifa from Nibelheim? That's so cool!" Wedge admired Cloud. He wasn't the only one.

"I guess?" He had no idea how to reply.

"Hey, handsome. Got any girlfriends?" Jessie smiled inquisitively.

"Actually... I'm taken." Cloud shot her down. At his words Tifa whipped her head around in surprise.

"Awe, who is it? Is it Aerith?" Jessie glanced at the other brunette. Behind her Tifa looked at the other girl.

"Nope. My type is apparently an idiot. He disappeared for five years and never went to find me. I'm trying to find him so I can give him a few words." Aerith's smile was a little terrifying.

"Oh... Okayyyy." Jessie had no idea how else to respond. She turned her attention to Vincent. "What about you, tall dark and handsome?"

"... Not looking for anything of the sort."

"Guess I won't find my prince charming." Jessie sighed.

"You'll find him someday." Cloud meant to be encouraging. It made her smile.

"Why, thank you! Such a gentleman."

"Enough of this chit chat! Tifa, why did you bring them here? He looks like SOLDIER. And the other one... I don't know what he is. But he gives me the creeps." Barrett eyed Cloud and Vincent suspiciously.

_I'm guessing he's the leader._ Cloud assumed.

"Ex-SOLDIER. Vincent is an Ex-Turk." Cloud filled them in. Short and simple. Everyone stared at Vincent in shock.

"I'm sorry, what? He's... Was, a Turk?" Barrett had a hard time believing.

"Until I became Hojo's experiment."

"Hojo? As in Professor Hojo of the science labs of ShinRa?" Wedge caught on.

"That's the bastard. He took the liberty of making me his science rat, too. Hence why I have no intentions of returning as their dog after a five year coma." Cloud could see Barrett was suspicious of anyone affiliated with the company.

"Then do you know Zack?" The big gunman inquired.

"He was my mentor. Why?" Cloud played innocent.

"Really? What a coincidence! He's part of our group! I don't know if you heard the news about - " Jessie was excited.

"Don't you tell 'em shit!" Barrett cut her off.

"But we have a good opportunity here. I know how you said about no more people, but wouldn't it be beneficial if we had an Ex-Turk on our side?" Tifa stood her ground.

"But how can we trust 'em? The timing is too suspicious. What if they're spies?"

"We don't have to work together if you don't want us. I only want Aerith to be kept safe. Can we just agree on that?" Cloud compromised. He could see Barrett was set on his ways. It would be safe to assume he gave Zack hell for being an Ex-SOLDIER.

"And if the Turks come running?" Barrett narrowed his eyes.

"Then we'll give them a distraction and keep them away from you guys as you escape. And we'll find somewhere else for Aerith." The blonde shrugged. The gunman stared him down and Cloud held his hard gaze without so much as a flinch.

"... Fine. She can watch my little girl Marlene when we're gone."

"Thank you. We'll be taking our leave." Cloud turned around for the door.

"Wait! Um, I might need Aerith's help with something."

"Like what?" Barrett piped up.

"Girl stuff." Tifa didn't elaborate, but the answer was enough for the gunman to lose interest.

"Can we talk outside?" Tifa motioned the door.

"Awe, why can't I be included? I'm a girl, too!" Jessie complained.

"Because you're still healing."

"Point taken." Jessie slumped forward. She then smiled at Cloud and waved. "Bye handsome!"

_Foolish girl._ Sephiroth hissed.

_Oh, shush._ Cloud resisted rolling his eyes.

"So what is it you need help with?" Aerith was eager to not sit around while Cloud and Vincent had freedom.

"Well... Do you know Don Corneo?"

"That sleezy bastard?"

"Yeah. His henchmen were asking around town for a man with a gun for an arm. And, well, I have to check it out."

"By yourself?" Cloud raised an eyebrow.

"That's why I was thinking about having Aerith help me." Tifa was hopeful.

"Why? What's your plan?" Cloud was growing protective of her.

"... To sign up as one of his future girls." Tifa lowered her gaze in shame.

"Nope. You're not going, and you're definitely not taking Aerith with you." Cloud did not like the sound of it.

"Oh, c'mon Cloud! Can't you trust me? I can fight. I've been taking care of myself these last few years. But numbers are better, right?"

"Why do you want to do this so bad?"

"I can't shake off this gut feeling. And if I don't follow through it, I might be wondering for the rest of my life of the what ifs. What if he knows something we don't about ShinRa?"

"If anyone would have information about the company making a move, he would be the man to look into. He's supported by ShinRa and they turn a blind eye to what goes on in that establishment." Vincent added.

"See? I have to go! So can Aerith come with me?"

"... Only if you let me come with." Cloud didn't like the idea of them placing themselves in danger.

"We can take care of ourselves. But, I suppose four is better than two." Aerith sighed, only to smile a moment later.

"Three. I'll be scouting around to ensure that the Turks haven't caught onto us." Vincent said flatly.

"Then let's go. The three of us."


	17. Uncertainty

"You've got to be kidding me." Cloud had mixed emotions as the three of them left the Honey Bee Inn.

He was embarrassed of his disguise. And yet a small part of him felt oddly enough comfortable. His mind and body was at war and he was left confused. Cloud suspected his five years of dreaming a dead woman's memories had something to do with it. Sometimes he still had to remind himself of who he was.

_What's wrong? You look sexy._ Sephiroth purred. The blonde blushed furiously.

_You're not helping!_

_Hot damn, didn't know you were into cross dressing Cloud._ Genesis commented.

_You're not laying your hands on him_. Sephiroth flared.

_Relax, sweetheart. I have no intention to. I'm just admiring from afar._

_Shut up! Both of you!_ Now he was getting angry.

_If I had known Tifa's plan included this, I would have followed in the shadows._ Vincent was wary of the idea the three of them would enter a well guarded building weaponless.

_Keep your distance. I can materialize weapons from thin air, remember? If we find anything out, go inform Barrett and his group._

"You okay, Cloud?" Tifa snapped him from the conversations in his head.

"Yeah. Still getting used to this." Cloud played off his embarrassment.

"You do make a pretty girl." Tifa giggled.

"You. Tell. No. One. Both of you." He replied flatly.

"Just a few days ago you flirted with a Turk and flaunted your body like a scandalous lady." Aerith rolled her eyes at him. "Although I can understand why, he was quite the eye candy."

"What!?" Tifa was in shock.

"This is different." It was a poor defense and he knew it.

"Since when did you like men?" His childhood friend had a hard time believing this detail.

"When I met my partner." Cloud looked away. He couldn't bring himself to say the name.

_Ashamed of having me as your partner?_ Sephiroth seemed hurt.

_Of course not. I don't know how she feels about you yet. You did destroy her, I mean our hometown._

_You feeling all right?_ Genesis chimed in.

Next to him Cloud noticed how Aerith stared at him. She caught him staring off into space so she knew he wasn't just deep in thought.

_Stop distracting me._

"And? Who is the lucky man if I may ask?" Tifa pressured.

"Let's just get this over with."

The ordeal was just as unpleasant as he imagined. But they got the information they wanted. Tifa's hunch actually had been right. However the Don surprised them with a trap door to the sewers.

_Cloud!_ Vincent had the urge to rush to them.

_We'll be fine! Go tell Barrett about ShinRa's plan! Get as many people out of Sector 7 as possible._

And so the Ex-Turk did that. Cloud then focussed on getting the hell out of the sewers with the two girls. However, after they fought off a huge monster that was likely the Don's personal pet, Tifa stared at the weapon in his hands.

"That's..." Tifa was having flashbacks.

"This isn't what it looks like."

"Then explain to me why you're using that sword! What happened to you? You've changed even more than when you were a SOLDIER! I don't even recognize you as my childhood friend anymore."

"Do you remember the stories of the Ancients?"

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"Everything. I was given the cells of a dead Ancient who was infected with an alien species that made her sought out to destroy the world. Sephiroth was born from her cells. I wasn't. But somehow I overcame her when she tried to control me as her new host."

"That doesn't explain the sword. How am I supposed to believe all of this?" Tifa's mind was racing, not fully processing. She was on the verge of tears.

"What he says is true. I can vouch for him. He really is telling the truth." Aerith spoke gently.

"Then why the sword?" Tifa pressed the issue.

"Remember when you asked me who my partner was?" His question made her look at him in horror.

"Before you start, he was under Jenova's control at the time. And, turns out that wasn't his real body but a clone. The real Sephiroth is locked away. Jenova is trying to control another host body. If she succeeds, then he'll be under her spell again. I'm trying to prevent that. And while I'm at it, I'll be taking a score or two with ShinRa."

Tifa didn't really know what to say. So Cloud and Aerith worked on finding their way out while Tifa followed. She still helped fight off monsters with them, but didn't speak up her thoughts. Cloud could only imagine how she felt. But no words he said would help her, so he gave up after a while.

When they finally reached the surface into Sector 7, they saw helicopters. Heading straight towards the support that held up the Sector 7 plate.

_Vincent?_ Cloud reached out.

_Almost everyone is out of danger._

_Barrett and his group?_

_Most are already fighting them off. Two of his group are getting the people out. But I have a problem._

_What is it?_

_I can't convince Barrett's little girl to come with me to safety. She's terrified of me._

_Well, to a child you are scary._

"Aerith, go back to the bar and get Barrett's daughter to safety. Tifa, follow me. We're going to help Barrett and the rest." He paused when he looked at his childhood friend. She was staring at him with a hurt expression.

"Please. Set aside your emotions until after we save Sector 7. Then you can hate me all you want. I'll even leave and never come back if it makes you feel better." His voice was gentle as he pleaded with her.

She bit her lip. Then as it almost looked like she would argue, she nodded. Tifa fought off the tears forming in the outer most corners. Cloud turned his gaze to Aerith.

"Stay safe, sister."

"Of course! You two watch each other's backs!" Aerith nodded before pulling them into a hug.

Cloud almost cried in the embrace. After the heartfelt moment they went their separate ways. Aerith ran to the bar, while Cloud and Tifa ran as fast they could towards the support tower.


	18. Reunion Gone Wrong

"Hey, honey! I was wondering when I would see you again." Cloud smirked at the redhead when he and Tifa finally made it to the top.

"Shit!" Reno cursed as he backed away mid fight with Zack and Barrett.

"Honey!? The hell's wrong with you blondie?" The gunman even paused. He stared at Cloud with a mix of shock and disgust.

"What the...?" Zack couldn't believe his eyes.

Soon as their eyes met Cloud felt Jenova's presence grow. He frowned. Was Zack under her influence? Yet he seemed to be his normal self. The blonde tears his gaze away from his old comrade to the Turk.

"Wanna have another dance, honey? I'll make it even this time. I won't fight with a weapon." He held out his hands to show he wouldn't bring forth a sword out of thin air.

_What are you doing?_ Vincent didn't like this.

"Are you fuckin' serious?" Barrett was pissed. Did the blonde really think he could barge in and take over the fight?

_I convinced Tifa to put aside her feelings with my weapon of choice. I don't know how Zack would react. Five years can lead to a lot of changes._

"What's the catch?" Reno narrowed his eyes.

"Only that you get this one chance to fight me while I'm weaponless. So, will you bite?" Cloud taunted. He hoped Tifa was catching onto his plan.

"Well, then. I've got a score to settle with you. Fuck yeah, I'll bite!" Reno charges. On the sidelines Cloud caught movement of Zack trying to intervene. But Tifa ran to his side.

"He can handle himself! We need to disable the controls!" Tifa pushed him.

Zack and Barrett watched as Cloud made Reno into a circus clown. So the two set aside their want to fight the Turk and ran to the control screen. Barrett watched their backs as Zack tried to figure out how the thing worked.

"Can you disarm it?" Tifa asked.

"I... I'm sorry. It requires a keycard from either a Turk or a high official." Zack admitted as he swallowed a huge lump in his throat.

"We got company!" Barrett raised the alarm as a helicopter arrived.

_Vincent, to me._ Cloud eyed the aircraft. If they couldn't reverse the process the Turks had already started then they had an advantage.

_Already on it_. The gunman assured.

"Then we'll steal one of their keycards!" Tifa wasn't going to allow anything stand in her way.

"Yo! Keep your eyes on me, blondie!" Reno yelled.

"Jealous, aren't we?" Cloud laughed as he parried out of another lunge.

This time Reno was prepared and used his momentum to redirect his weapon to Cloud's ribs. The blonde screamed as electricity shot through his entire body. He staggered, barely able to stand upright. That attack was a little too close to electrifying his heart. His lungs burned a little as he struggled to breathe. For a split second he had a flashback to Mt. Nibel reactor.

"Cloud!" Zack ran forward.

Rude aimed his guns to stop him. Soon as word reached the officials of the sighting of Cloud, Hojo had requested his immediate return. He made it clear it didn't matter if he was willing or not. Or if he came in a body bag.

The Ex-SOLDIER used the Buster Blade to shield himself as he continued to run. Barrett aimed to fire back. Rude maneuvered the aircraft, now distracted. Just as Zack was about to reach Cloud, the blonde steadied his footing. He turned to glare at Reno and he felt his heart sink.

"Oh, shit... PARTNER!" Reno yelled at the top of his lungs. He fucked up. He so fucked up and he knew it. He backed away as Cloud slowly advanced. At the sight of him Reno finally chickened out and bolted as fast as he could.

"Just shoot the damn controls and get us the hell outta here!" Reno ordered. Behind him he could sense Cloud advancing fast.

Rude was too focused on slowing Cloud enough for Reno to jump on. Zack had to skid to change course. With one hand on the metal floor he pushed with all his might to catch up to Cloud and Reno. He wondered how in the hell the blonde became so much faster than him.

Just as Cloud almost had the redhead in his grasp the screen above the controls turned on. It showed a face of a man in black suit. A Turk. At first Cloud ignored the new face. That was until Aerith pushed in front of him.

"Don't worry! Marlene is safe! She's at - "

At the sound of her voice Cloud stopped. He turned to see the Turk push her aside. Suddenly his fury changed targets. A few feet away from him Reno scrambled to safety on the helicopter.

"Marlene? What about her? Is she safe?" Barrett was in a panic. He stopped firing at the aircraft.

"Aerith?" Zack stopped behind his friend.

"Give her back!" Cloud snarled. The Turk chuckled.

"Cloud, I take it? You've changed indeed. If you want to take her place, you know where to find us. If you survive the fall, that is. Otherwise I'll be happy to locate your remains to hand over to Professor Hojo."

"Fuck you!"

"How about no. Enjoy your fall, AVALANCHE." The screen went dark.

Rude opened fire straight at the controls. The bullets made an explosion. The sound of alarms echoed all around over the chaos as the plate began to slant. Cloud began to slip on the edge and began to fall. Zack reached forward. Their hands almost grasped each other. Their fingers barely touched. Then the next second they were out of reach.

"Cloud!" Zack almost jumped after him. What made him pause was the way Cloud smirked.

Suddenly a red cape engulfed the blonde. In seconds the crimson attire and Cloud were out of sight. The movements were almost too fast even with mako infused eyes.

"C'mon, man!" Barrett urged him. Together the remaining three clung onto each other as they raced to safety.

As the dust settled they gathered one by one. They stared at the sight of crumbled concrete, the light of fires and tangled wires. It took a moment to process everything. The first to react was Barrett as he proceeded to punch and shoot at the debris shouting Marlene's name.

"She's safe." Cloud stepped forward as Barrett finally ran out of breath.

"You sure? Where is she? You better not be lying, blondie." He all but snarled.

"I'll take you there. But afterwards we'll part ways." Cloud promised.

"What? But Cloud - " Zack didn't get to finish when the blonde punched him hard in the face. He staggered as Cloud raised his fist again, only for Vincent to catch him and pull him back.

"You dare!" Cloud glared. Eyes flashed bright green.

"He didn't know she was involved." Vincent spoke softly. Despite the heated glare he didn't flinch.

"..." Cloud turned away. His gaze met Zack again. "That was for Aerith you bastard. You left her wondering what happened to you for five years."

"Now hold up. He's the one she talked about?" Barrett connected the dots.

"Look, I was leaving her alone so she wouldn't be mixed up in this mess." Zack pinched his nose. It was bleeding.

"You knew she was being watched by the Turks!" Cloud's lunge was interrupted once again by Vincent. "Think with that stupid ass brain of yours! They were going to take her one day, you could have at least helped her hide from them!"

"The hell's your problem, Spike?"

"Right now it's your stupidity!" Cloud regretted his words soon as he saw Zack flinch. But he couldn't take them back. The damage was already done.

The silence was deafening.

"Damn. This is one fucked up reunion." Barrett shook his head.

At the mention of reunion Zack raised his hand to his head. He seemed like he was in pain. Cloud put two and two together. Suddenly he felt like insulting his best friend was the least of his problems.

"You can hear her, don't you?" Cloud could hear her too, but he could push her out of his mind. She held no power over him. The other EX-SOLDIER shook his head.

"What kind of crazy shit you talking about now, blondie?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." Zack denied as he straightened out.

_He's lying. And he knows it._ Cloud couldn't help those that didn't want it. If Zack didn't want to admit that something was wrong with his head then she had him in his clutches well enough that he wouldn't accept help.

_What should we do?_ Vincent asked.

"Let's go before we tear each other to pieces. The sooner the better so I can leave." Cloud turned to lead the way.

"You're going to turn yourself in, aren't you?" Tifa saw right through him.

"You going to try and stop me?" Cloud challenged.

"I don't want to fight."

"Then stay out of my way."

"Spike, can't we just come to an understanding? You shouldn't have to take such drastic measures by yourself." Zack sniffed as the last of the blood drained from his nose.

"Who said I would be alone? I'm counting on your ass to come guns blazing glory." He knew he should cut ties with someone Jenova has influence on, but perhaps there was a chance to save Zack from her grasp.


	19. Dangerous Games

Cloud entered the ShinRa building. And to his surprise, there was no one there. Then again it was after hours. But this put a damper in his mood.

"Hello! Hojo's walking most wanted here! Don't you want me or not?" Cloud yelled in the lobby. His voice echoed and met with no answer. He sighed with an almost groan.

"Where's the Turks when I need them?" Cloud frowned.

_Perhaps you should start destroying everything until you draw attention?_ Sephiroth suggested.

_A little too flashy. Vincent, is there a way I can get a hold of the Turks? _

_You could trigger the alarm. _

Cloud looked around. Then he saw the blue lights surrounding the information desk. With a smirk he made his way over. Casually he reached his hand through the blue light. Immediately it turned red and the alarms went off. The sound was deafening.

"Do I have your attention now, Turks?" Cloud yelled as he scanned the lobby. There were cameras from every view of the information desk.

Infantrymen surrounded him. Cloud placed his hands on his hips, disappointed. He supposed it was too much to ask for. The Turks were much higher up on the tower. After a minute the alarms stopped.

"Who are you! What are you doing here after hours?" One of the infantrymen demanded.

Cloud smirked. He didn't have to answer when the head security received a call in his helmet.

"Hello?" A pause. He was suddenly nervous. "Yes, sir. Understood. You there, you're coming with us."

Cloud didn't respond. He silently followed, noting how the group still surrounded him to cut off all exits. Not that they would hold him off should he decide to escape anyhow.

Some several floors later the elevator made a stop to a floor for someone to enter. The infantrymen grew nervous at the sight of a Turk. Cloud raised an eyebrow when he recognized the same man who had captured Aerith.

"I'll be taking over, gentlemen."

"But sir - "

"Are you questioning my authority?" His dark brown eyes glared.

"N-No, sir." The security leader backed down.

"Good. Now leave us. Cloud? Step over here please."

"What a gentleman." He smirked, eyes bright. The slightest hint of a flinch didn't go unnoticed. So he knew Sephiroth first hand, too.

_Do you have to turn this into a habit? They never forget those who taunt them._ Vincent warned.

_They can't touch me. And they know it. _

"I'm surprised you're here. Let me guess, you're the distraction for them to come waltzing in here?" He was sharp.

"And if I am?" Cloud met his gaze.

_You're crossing very dangerous waters._ The Ex-Turk pressured.

"What exactly is your ultimate goal? I find it hard to believe it's just to rescue Aerith."

"Can't tell. That would just ruin the surprise, sweetheart." Cloud smiled at the sight of one of the Turk's eye twitching. "So are we just going to stand around and talk?"

"Straight to the point. I just might like you."

_That's not a good thing._ Vincent was more agitated.

_Careful._ Sephiroth was wary too.

_Stop distracting me._

"What are you plotting?" The Turk grew suspicious from the lack of response.

"Oh, nothing." Cloud shrugged, playing coy.

"Told you he's a handful, boss." Reno rounded the corner with Rude at his side.

"Oh hey, honey. Don't worry, I don't have any interest of getting back at you for frying me. Can we call it even now?"

"Can it with the nicknames, will ya? You give me the creeps." The redhead shuddered.

"Is it the creeps or the tingles?"

"Why you - " Reno's advance was interrupted by a protective Rude. Cloud noted how the bald man was glaring at him from behind his dark shades.

"What's this? You two are together? Oops, my bad. I'll just tease sweetheart over here from now on then."

At the nickname for his boss Reno snickered. After a few seconds he was full on laughing.

"He's calling boss sweetheart! And he's actually letting him!" Reno was soon out of breath. Rude adjusted his glasses as a way to pinch the bridge of his nose.

Cloud heard the Turk behind him sigh.

xXx

"Think enough time has passed for us to go in? It's been a while since the alarm went off." Tifa asked the group. She turned to eye them.

Zack had convinced Barrett to help. The man had to be reminded Aerith was responsible for Marlene's safety. It was a disappointment that Vincent left them. He disappeared into thin air without them noticing. They had no choice but to place their trust in him for help down the road.

"So how we gonna do this? I say we run right in, guns blazing glory. I mean, it'll make for a great story later." Barrett implied.

"Or we can use the stairs." Zack shrugged. But then again he wasn't really interested in running up the stairs. Plus, he knew they needed to get their hands on a keycard. Several, actually, if ShinRa hadn't changed in the last five years. "Know what, guns blazing glory sounds good."

"Hell yeah!" The gunman exclaimed. "Knew there was something I liked about you."

"Do you really think Cloud will be all right?" Zack glanced at Tifa. He had his doubts. The last he remembered, Cloud barely survived destroying Jenova's body.

"Trust me. He's fine." Tifa wanted to tell him so bad about the sword Cloud used. But for some reason she felt that would be taboo. She was torn between her loyalty to her friends and her childhood friend.

"If you say so. Let's go." Zack still had his doubts. But it's not like he can do anything but go along with Cloud's plan.

By their strange luck they were close at hand to the 65th floor. However the closer they got, the more Zack couldn't shake the feeling something wasn't right. Everything was going way too much in their favor.

He also couldn't shake the feeling that they were being followed. Whenever he turned around there was nothing there. Zack was beginning to wonder if he was going crazy. Yet he couldn't shake the battle ready instincts.

"You okay Zack?" Tifa noticed him acting weird.

"Hm? Oh, yeah. Let's keep going."

Around the corner behind them, Vincent sighed. This was going to be a long night.


	20. Plotting

Aerith stared at Hojo unmoving. Outside she could sense Cloud was close by. She hoped the others were with him in her rescue. Until then she had to endure this creep.

"Finally, you're here. Now if only I could have my hands on the second most ultimate creation here, then I would have the complete set!"

_Did he mean Cloud?_ Aerith assumed.

"Together with the real Ancient and a lab created one, nothing will stop me from finishing Ultimate Sephiroth. From there I will create more like him from the last three Ancients on this planet."

Aerith wanted to vomit. It wasn't really hard to guess what he meant. Suddenly behind Hojo a vision of a familiar figure appeared. With only moving her eyes she stared. The figure was Cloud?

He raised a finger up to his mouth with a smile. He winked at her with silent promise she'll be out of this cage soon enough.

"Hm? What are you looking at?" Hojo turned around, but he couldn't see anything. The vision of Cloud was gone. Hojo shrugged, but it was enough of a concern. He had a theory of Ancients being able see what humans couldn't.

Sephiroth had been a prime example during his early years. Hojo had pushed it aside as a child's imagination. But perhaps it wasn't just that. If that was the case, then what did she see? He was beginning to wonder if he should be worried.

The professor shrugged. He will worry about it later. For now he had some work to do. A call came in. He grumbled to himself and answered.

"This better be good." He all but snarled. "Oh? He's here? Good. Bring the specimen to me."

Hojo ended the call and looked at Aerith with a frightening smile. It took all her strength not to show fear. She wasn't going to give him the satisfaction.

"Good news, my dear. He's turned himself in."

_Cloud? What are you doing?_ Aerith wished she could reach him telepathically. It wasn't fair he could freely talk to Vincent and not her.

xXx

"So tell me, do you really support the way things are run around here?" Cloud asked the Turks curiously as they entered the elevator.

"Why you wanna know?" Reno received a look from his boss.

"Just curious. Your goal is to reach Paradise, right?"

"What about it?" The redhead continued to respond despite the glares from both of his comrades.

"Just making the observation that you're all going at it the wrong way." His words made them interested.

"Oh? And what is your suggestion, then? And should we even trust you? You're not born as an Ancient."

"Of course, I'm a freak science experiment. Thanks for reminding me, sweetheart. Anyways, I have all of the memories Jenova. Which means I have knowledge of the Ancients not even Aerith has."

"Are you baiting us?" The head Turk caught on.

_What's his name again?_ Cloud asked his partner.

_Tseng._ Sephiroth was curious. This wasn't the original plan Cloud had come up with. He could sort of see where this was going, and he wanted to see if the Turks will bite.

"Perhaps I am, Tseng. But I'm not going to talk to you or your Turk underlings about my suggestions."

"Then who will you talk with?" Tseng watched him warily.

"ShinRa's son." He knew he struck a chord in the Turks when they glanced at each other. So his theory of the Turks having a little more interest with the company's heir than the current president.

_Will they bite?_ Cloud wondered. He was exploring other options than to just be brought to Hojo's lab. He would rather avoid going there if he had other opportunities.

"... Five minutes." Tseng grit his teeth. Surprise rippled through everyone, including the three Cloud had a connection with.

"Boss? You can't be serious." Reno whispered.

"Ten." Cloud smirked.

"I said five minutes. No more." Tseng glared, eyes dark. He was already taking a huge risk.

"I'll take it. You won't regret it, sweetheart."

The doors opened to Hojo's lab. Tseng pressed the floor for Rufus ShinRa's suite. It requested his keycard, which he pulled out and scanned it. The doors closed with a soft bing and they continued upwards.

Meanwhile Reno and Rude wondered just how in the world Cloud could possess the ability to convince others into giving him what he wanted. This was a huge risk they were taking. And if Hojo sounded the alarm for them being late, then they were all screwed.

"You two make sure to prevent damage control." Tseng had been thinking along the same thoughts.

"Ya sure you can control him boss? He's a loose cannon, yo." The redhead eyed him.

"He knows better. If he wants an audience with Rufus, then he needs to act accordingly. Otherwise it's back to Hojo's lab." Tseng sent the blonde a knowing look.

"I understand completely." Cloud smiled.

A minute later the doors opened. Tseng made Cloud walk ahead of him as they exited the elevator. Behind them Reno and Rude watched nervously. Suddenly the redhead pushed through the closing doors, surprising his partner.

"Reno?" Rude was torn between catching the redhead or staying to follow orders.

"I'm coming with ya, boss. I'm better at close combat than you. Rude can take care of damage control. Right, baby?"

"Er... Yeah." The bald Turk nodded.

"That's fair I suppose." Tseng relented.

Reno took the lead in front of the blonde. Cloud raised an eyebrow but didn't object. The three of them continued onwards towards their destination. It didn't take long when Reno stopped in front of a door and promptly knocked.

"What is it now?" Someone answered irritably.

"Tseng and Reno, sir." The head Turk answered. "We brought someone who seeks an audience with you."

"This late at night?" Rufus was more irritated. "Come back at a more decent hour."

"Aren't you tired of your father being in the seat that's rightfully yours?" Cloud knew that would catch his interest. He inwardly smiled as the Turks looked at him with the blunt inquiry of helping the man take the seat as president.

"... Come in."


	21. Chaotic

"What's taking them so long?" Hojo grew impatient. The Turks should have delivered the specimen by now. He gave them another minute before his impatience got the better of him.

"Tseng! What's taking so long? You should be here by now."

"I apologise for taking a while longer. We will be there shortly." Tseng cut the phone before the professor could get more answers.

Something suspicious was afoot. Just as Hojo was about to send someone to investigate, one of the Turks called. He promptly answered, annoyed. He couldn't quite remember the name but he knew it was the bald headed Turk.

"We apologise, but there seems to be a situation. The subject is trying to flee. We'll contact you once we get him under control and bring him to you."

"Hmm. I suppose. Just bring him back in one piece, if you can." Hojo ended the call. He supposed that was enough, and continued on with which ideas he would proceed with first.

Aerith wanted so badly to groan as he continued on rambling. Why was Cloud taking his sweet time to rescue? She wondered if he had Zack's help. If he was here then she still planned on giving him an earful.

Then she felt it. It was faint, like the smallest hint of a heartbeat. A dark aura of someone evil nearby. No, the source was above her, at a higher floor. Dread filled her as she heard the panicked whispers from the planet.

**_Calamity. Chaos. Destruction. _**

Was this Jenova? Or Sephiroth? Was Cloud part of this? But that didn't make sense, he was supposed to be on his way up here. So he wasn't above the floor she was on. Right?

But he was the only one with some sort of history with Jenova. She doubted Vincent could be the source. He had an entity that despised Jenova within him. She heard the whispers when Aerith first met him.

And then she felt it. Someone's passing as they left for the Lifestream. She could sense it was a violent end. And then just like that the evil entity disappeared completely.

Some minutes later Hojo received another call.

"What is it? Hm? Good, bring the specimen to me. Is he in one piece at least? Good. Good." When he hung up Hojo's smile at her was more of a sneer. "Looks like he'll be joining us soon, my dear."

Aerith had never been more terrified in her life by someone's laughter.

Some time later the Turks finally arrived with Cloud. He seemed out of it. Aerith resisted the urge to react as he was roughly shoved into another glass cage like hers. He didn't even try to get up, he slumped against the glass for support. Something was wrong.

"Cloud?" She couldn't take it anymore with the sight of him like this. She stood up, forgetting to hide her emotions.

"So you have met him. It's curious, isn't it? It's been five years since I've last had him in my clutches."

Aerith glared at Tseng. There was the faintest hint of a flinch. What had they done to him? And just as the Turks came they left. Oddly enough they were silent, when before they hadn't been so tense and acting like they should spring into action like a rubber band stretched so far to fling an object.

"Curious to see what sort of changes have occured in the last five years." Without wasting any time Hojo used a syringe to collect blood samples. He made his way to his microscope to begin studying.

With his back turned to them Aerith glanced over to Cloud again. Beyond his cage she caught sight of another one with a red feline creature. She got the sense he was intelligent along the same level as her. His eyes had an empathetic expression in them. He studied the blonde from his angle then shook his head.

He wasn't doing good. Aerith began to panic inside. What happened earlier? He had seemed so confident in the rescue. Was that even him that gave her the vision then? Aerith was so confused.

"What's this? The Jenova cells... They're not Jenova cells anymore. They are similar, but it would seem as if he had overtaken her influence completely. This is... Concerning." Hojo babbled to himself. He reached for a different sample to add to Cloud's blood and watched the reaction.

"Jenova cells are overtaken. Hmm. Shall I try Sephiroth cells?" Hojo added them. "That's better. He's submissive with Sephiroth."

Hojo grabbed a clean syringe to take in a fair amount of Sephiroth cells. The simple procedure of injection was over in a few seconds. But immediately Cloud jerked almost awake and aware, gasping. Then he moaned as he went limb again before drifting off.

The atmosphere of the lab changed. It was as if the very air held it's breath. Then suddenly the doors opened to Zack, Tifa and Barrett to the rescue. Aerith had never been so relieved in her life she almost cried. She held it together enough to talk.

"Help him! He did something to Cloud!"

"Let them go!" Zack glared, his sword raised.

"You think you can threaten me?" He held out a remote with a single button from his coat pocket. "Should you attempt to come any closer then I will press this trigger that will set off explosives placed throughout this lab."

With this threat AVALANCHE hesitated. They were at a stalemate. Aerith glanced back at Cloud. He was still unmoving. Beyond him the feline creature was tense, watching how this was to play out. Suddenly Vincent leaped from the shadows, gun pointed at Hojo's head.

_Something's wrong. It's effecting him too._ Aerith observed. His eyes flashed from gold to red, face contorted in pain.

"I call your bluff." Vincent snarled. "You wouldn't lose your precious experiments if you did plant explosives."

"Should have known it would be you who took him. He helped you control Chaos, did he? But I see with Sephiroth's influence, you're having a harder time fighting him back. Can you fight Chaos long enough to save him? Or will you turn against your own allies?" Hojo was playing with his head.

"Just take Cloud and leave! I'll be fine! You'll get your revenge later!" Aerith prayed he would listen.

Vincent regarded her, considering. Just as it looked like he would follow through her plan it was too late. His eyes were bright yellow and didn't change back. And then his body began to change. As the fear went to higher levels Hojo pressed the button and the wall exploded inward. In the chaos all of the glass cages were lifted, allowing every experiment to run free.

"My friend, the fates are cruel," A poetic voice said as a new figure with one black wing entered.


	22. Escape

"Genesis?" Zack stared.

"You? How many times does it have to take to kill you?" Hojo was in disbelief.

"Endless." Genesis smirked. By now Vincent had finished transforming. Chaos was a winged horrifying being. From the explosion and the sight of Chaos the other monsters ran around in panic. Aerith ran straight for Cloud.

Chaos saw her move and leaped towards her. Aerith didn't have time to shield herself. In a panic she covered herself over Cloud's body. Then it was almost like slow motion when the red feline intercepted, together they rolled snarling.

"I'll take him, my lady." Genesis wasted no time to approach. Aerith bit her lip. "He'll slow you guys down."

"Aerith!" Zack ran forward, only for a monster to attack. Tifa and Barrett had his back.

Aerith nodded, pulling away from the unconscious blonde. With great care Genesis picked him up in his arms. He then turned his gaze towards Chaos and the feline. He whistled.

"Vincent!" The name caught Chaos's attention. His burning yellow eyes turned towards him. Immediately he forgot about the feline and ran towards Genesis to attack.

Genesis ran towards the hole in the wall he created and took flight, disappearing into the night with Cloud. Chaos tailed behind them.

Aerith was surrounded. She sprung into action. At her side was the red feline.

"May I join you to escape?" He asked. He could talk? Loss for words Aerith nodded.

Finally AVALANCHE reached the pair. Aerith's first reaction was to slap the Ex-SOLDIER. Zack reached for her hand, his expression soft and apologetic. And suddenly her urge to slap him melted away.

"I'm really, really sorry for leaving you the way I did. And to be fair, Cloud already broke my nose after the Turks kidnapped you."

She could see the bruising that had already almost completely healed. Well, he already been hurt by Cloud. She figured it wouldn't be too bad to let go of wanting to slap him or give him an earful. For some reason being in his presence made the anger wash away like a river.

"Let's go!" Aerith was eager to get the hell out of here.

The group made a break for it. But once they reached the elevators, they weren't in service. The building was in lockdown due to Genesis making a dramatic entry and exit. On top of that rogue monsters were still on the loose.

"How do we get the hell outta here!" Barrett demanded Zack.

"I'm thinking!" He was looking every which direction. Where were the emergency stairs?

Suddenly the elevator doors opened. Quickly they ran inside. Soon as all were accounted for the doors shut on their own. There was a small screen above, and a familiar face of Tseng watched them.

"This will take you as close to the lobby it can. From there, you'll have to figure out your own escape. And, you didn't get any help from me." He said calmly. He met Aerith's gaze and his expression softened. "Tell Cloud we apologise, the plan went awry somewhere."

"... Okay." Aerith wasn't sure if she could trust him. But she sensed he was genuine with his voice.

The elevator moved down. Tseng's face disappeared as the screen went black. One by one they glanced at another. That whole ordeal had so much to process at once. They were all thinking along the same thoughts.

What exactly happened?

They knew from what they saw, but not the finer details. And without Vincent or Cloud among their group, they might not get to know for a while. Meanwhile somehow the Turks were included with what the Ex-Turk and SOLDIER knew. It was also confusion surrounding Genesis.

"Who the hell was that winged SOLDIER?" Barrett had seen the uniform under the red trench coat.

"Genesis Rhapsodos. Formerly known as Commander. He went AWOL some time before Sephiroth went crazy. I don't understand, last I saw him his body was decaying." Zack frowned.

"I think Cloud has something to do with that? But I get the sense he had more help than Cloud, since Hojo added Sephiroth's cells into him didn't fully effect Genesis like it did Vincent." Aerith theorized.

"What? He added Sephiroth's cells?" Zack was horrified. "No, no no that can't be good. We need to find them."

"If it's not too much trouble, may I venture with you until I am close enough to my home?" The feline asked.

"Holy shit! It talks!"

"My name is Nanaki. But if you so wish, you can call me Red XIII." On his shoulder said the name that Hojo had given him.

"Where is your home exactly?" Tifa asked.

"Cosmo Canyon."

"Well, we gotta be on the run from ShinRa. So we can make a pit stop there." Zack surmised. He turned to eye Tifa and Aerith. "Any ideas where Cloud would be hiding out at?"

"... I don't think he would be attached to the village anymore." Tifa answered softly. "He's changed so much I don't know him as well as I thought I did. Or maybe, I never knew him at all."

"Where would three former members of ShinRa hide out in plain sight?" Aerith inquired, looking at Zack. She had a hunch they would be hiding right under everyone's noses.

Zack thought for a moment. He placed himself in Cloud's or Genesis' shoes. If they wanted to be under ShinRa's noses, they would want to be close. But far enough that they would be considered safe. Two towns came to mind.

"... Kalm. Or Junon. Wait, Genesis is too recognizable in Junon. He's made attempts to destroy Midgar and Junon. He's public enemy number one."

"Kalm is closest. We could make our way there as the first place we can run to."

"Then let's get our asses there. But first, we gotta get the hell outta Midgar in one piece!" Barrett exclaimed.

The doors opened for their exit.

xXx

**_Reunion... Reunion... Reunion..._**

"Sephiroth..." Cloud whispered so softly Genesis almost didn't hear even with his hyper sensitive ears. He glanced at the blonde.

He could sense Jenova had her claws on him again. But Sephiroth was trying to push her back through Cloud. Despite he was at war between Cloud and Jenova he had a moment of clarity when he was allowed complete control to kill President ShinRa. Now it was an all out mental tug of war over Cloud.

Somehow with this close proximity to Jenova's influence Chaos had the urges to destroy her. The urge was so strong he forced himself through Vincent. Genesis glanced over his shoulder.

Chaos was fast and blended well in the night. The only reason Genesis could even see him was due to the bright yellow eyes. And the demonic being was beginning to closing in fast.

Helicopters raced after them in the distance. Genesis grit his teeth. He was berating himself that he should have become the distraction for the company rather than Cloud and AVALANCHE. But it was too late now to think over the what if scenarios.

Genesis turned sharply. He heard the flap of leathery wings turning with him. The change of direction did allow the former commander a little more distance between him and Chaos. He knew that wouldn't last long, though.

His eyes darted around to search for ways to lose Chaos and the Turks tailing them. As he began to form a plan in his head he felt movement in his arms. Genesis glanced down again to his horror at the sight of green eyes and slits for pupils.

At the horror Genesis faltered in his pace. Quickly his wing flapped desperately to make up the speed and distance he lost when Chaos drew closer. Cloud's arms readjusted to wrap around his shoulders. The Sephiroth possessed (or was it Jenova?) blonde leaned closer to Genesis.

"Could you not distract me while I'm trying to save your ass?" Genesis glared heatedly at the figure in his arms.

"Come, Genesis." Cloud's voice was overshadowed with Sephiroth's. "Will you become part of our family again?"

"Now isn't really the time! Stop distracting me you two!" He snapped.

Cloud was so close their cheeks brushed against each other. It didn't help when Genesis had to roll in order to dodge an attack from Chaos. Behind them the helicopters were closing in. Time was of the essence. They were so close to the outer edge of Midgar.

Then a flap of wings were all Genesis heard before claws latched onto his back and now the three of them were falling.


	23. Changes

"Last night President ShinRa has been murdered in his office. The suspect is unclear, however the weapon of choice was left at the scene of the crime. The weapon is none other than Masamune, the blade wielded by former General Sephiroth, who perished five years ago in an accident."

"That had to be Cloud." Zack commented. The group had managed to escape a wild goose chase from ShinRa, evading the Turks. Now they were at Aerith's house to say their farewells before heading out of Midgar.

The news was being reported by the radio. The lady of the household believe in televisions, but kept a radio to hear the news. All of them sat around in the dining room listening over breakfast.

"Rufus ShinRa, heir to the company has now taken place as president. Here is what he has said in this morning's conference."

"People of Midgar. I have a special team of people investigating the matter of my father's untimely and violent end. Meanwhile, as the new president of ShinRa Company, I will be making some dramatic changes to ensure safety for the city and its people."

"Tch. Sounds like a whole lot of - " Barrett recurved a glare from Aerith's mother. "Crazy."

"And just how do you plan to do that?" A reporter asked.

"By making plans to change our energy source. First we need to conduct further studies to better understand just how safe mako energy really is, and what negative effects it could potentially have."

Surprise filled the entire dining room. Everyone thought back to Tseng's apology the previous night in the elevator. Cloud was responsible for this too?

"What made you think mako energy isn't a pure source? And does this have anything to do with AVALANCHE?"

"It came to my attention recently. As for AVALANCHE, actions will still be made for their terrorist actions, including their ties with Wutai."

"Of course we're the bad guys." Tifa sighed.

"Does this mean you are declaring a proclamation of war against Wutai?"

"At this moment in time, no. My main goal is to take action against AVALANCHE before striking Wutai, so as we don't have enemies within our own city while most of the army is out at war."

"Sir, can you tell us about the reports of Professor Hojo's labratory being attacked? Can you also explain the sightings of former Commander Genesis Rhapsodos? Five years ago he was declared dead, and yet reports have come in that he was sighted last night."

"There was an attack made, yes. And by the professor's witness testimony and the cameras, it is clear that Genesis was the culprit. However, I cannot explain how he remains alive. The report that declared his death was made from those who retired five years ago, therefore I cannot explain how it is he is alive."

"Is it true Professor Hojo handed over his resignation earlier this morning?"

"Excuse us, but the President's time has run out. Until further notice we will not conduct anymore interviews." Tseng's voice intercepted. The timing was too perfect for the Turks to end the conference there. Which sparked a lot of suspicions.

"That creep resigned?" Aerith was aghast.

"There must be an ulterior motive if it's true." Zack felt uneasy about that. It would mean Hojo had freedom to continue his heinous acts in the name of science and research.

"You mean to tell me that the Turks ending the interview then wasn't a definite answer?" Barrett pointed out.

"So what's the plan?" Mrs. Gainsborough asked them. "If you want Marlene's safety, then you can't stay here."

"We already made a plan to make our way to our next destination. From there it's all up in arms on where to go." Zack explained. He left out any exact details just in case the Turks questioned Mrs. Gainsborough.

"Well we definitely need to get Red back to his home." Aerith added.

"Before we go, I need a moment to say goodbye to Marlene." The gunman stated, expression pained. Everyone agreed to set off after Marlene woke up.

xXx

Somehow ShinRa activity was low for their supposed search for AVALANCHE. So leaving the city of Midgar wasn't as dramatic in comparison to the last several days. The group didn't bother to question it, for it gave them a breather to get out without Turks and SOLDIERs breathing down their necks.

Aerith took one last glance at the city. This was the first time she ever left. The sky was so vast, it was almost scary. And yet she felt wonder at the newfound freedom.

"Come on, Aerith." Zack reached for her hand. She returned the gesture.

"Yeah." She nodded, and the group began their journey to Kalm.

The travel was uneventful and didn't last too long. About halfway to Kalm however, they came across signs of a fight. Black feathers were scattered everywhere. And there were streaks of what looked like dried blood on the rocks.

"Genesis." Zack whispered, and suddenly they were on the alert.

Silently as they could the creeped along. Red was beside Zack in the front. The feline glanced up at the SOLDIER with a pleading look. Zack nodded, and Red prowled a little faster to peek around a boulder. He could smell someone was still here. He continued out of sight to search a little further.

A moment later Red ran back to them.

"Vincent and Genesis are here." He informed.

Zack ran with Aerith and Tifa behind him. The three came across a horrific scene. The pair were unconscious and sprawled several feet apart. It looked like they fought until they collapsed from exhaustion. Genesis' black wing folded over his body so it was hard to tell how injured he was. Vincent meanwhile seemed mostly well off.

Zack knelt down by Genesis. Gently as he could he lifted the wing enough to have a better look at him. He could see that most of the blood streaks belonged to Genesis. He frowned at the sight. Even with mako's fast healing for SOLDIER, they were still taking a while to fully heal.

"He doesn't look too good." Zack told the others. Aerith knelt next to him as she began to work her healing magic. She bit her lip at the gruesome wounds.

Slashes and bullet wounds covered his chest. It wouldn't be a surprise if he had some on his back, too. As she slowly closed up the wounds Genesis groaned. Behind Zack and Aerith, Vincent stirred. Silently he sat up, dazed.

"How do you feel?" Red asked the cloaked man.

"... What happened?" Vincent noticed how they were all wary of him. Barrett even had his gun arm pointed at him.

"You don't remember? What's the last thing you remember?" Tifa asked. It took him a moment to think.

"The rescue mission. Then... A voice. A voice that angered Chaos. Did I lose control?" He was now horrified of the prospect.

"You tried to attack Cloud. Then Genesis came along and took him away. The last we saw of you three was when you flew off." Tifa summarized. It was a watered down version, and he knew she purposely left details out.

"I attacked you guys, didn't I?" He felt guilt and regret.

"... Yeah. You attacked Aerith when she tried to protect Cloud. Then Red intervened. When Genesis arrived he got your attention."

"..." Vincent glanced over towards Zack and Aerith. He saw how injured Genesis was.

With another groan Genesis opened his eyes. He blinked a few times as his vision adjusted. In an instant he reacted like he was still in a fight. Zack grabbed his wrists and held him down, the wing smacked the back of his head while Aerith ducked.

"Ow! Hey, snap out of it! You're safe!"

At Zack's voice Genesis paused. He studied all of them while his mind processed. Zack let go of the other Ex-SOLDIER's wrists. Genesis looked around for any sign of Cloud. To his horror the blonde was no where in sight. Genesis sat up and grimaced from the wounds that still hadn't fully healed.

"Where's Cloud?" Genesis asked them.

"We were hoping to ask you that." Zack frowned.

_Come, Genesis._ The voices of Cloud and Sephiroth combined sent shivers down his spine. Genesis glared at Vincent.

"Where in Ifrit's name is she? You must have some idea. You're the only link we have to finding her."

"Hold up! What the hell you talking about?" Barrett wasn't the only one confused.

"... I don't know." Vincent answered.

"Liar!" Genesis accused. In an instant he was on his feet, wing stretched out, crimson blade in hand.

AVALANCHE braced themselves for a fight, surrounding Vincent. Genesis eyed them as he reconsidered. He was still wounded and one against five. The odds weren't exactly in his favor.

"Can't we talk sensibly?" Aerith asked him.

_Kill her. Take the materia hiding in her ribbon. _

"... Forget it. You're not worth the effort." With a flap of his wing Genesis took to the skies.


	24. Puppet

Cloud had no idea where he was. He knew it was cold. He tried to open his eyes. They were so heavy that it was a struggle. When he finally opened them there was darkness and various stages of mako around and above him. The liquid pooled around solid columns.

The glow of the mako was soft and gentle. He could hear the soft hum of the Lifestream almost put him to sleep. Cloud fought it off and made an attempt to look around.

His body couldn't move. No. It wasn't that it could, it wouldn't. His body wouldn't listen to his mind. Panic raced as he questioned if he somehow switched with Jenova, trapped in another's body. Soon as his panic swelled to the point of a major panic attack it was soothed over like a cold river.

Cloud could sense Sephiroth's approach. Just knowing that alone was enough to put a stop to the racing thoughts and emotions. He blinked and suddenly Sephiroth was there above him. His expression was cold, and even though his eyes were bright they held dark intentions in them. For some reason this didn't frighten Cloud, it made him excited.

Gloved hands on other side of the blonde's face to block any escape. Cloud didn't have the want to run. One knee between Cloud's legs, close enough to feel its presence but not close enough to rub against where he wanted most. Silver hair fell like a curtain, strands gently brushing Cloud's left cheek.

"I finally have you." Sephiroth smirked. "Well, in a sense anyhow."

Cloud blinked, confused.

"This isn't the real world. We're inside your mind. I have created this cage to keep you from her influence."

His heart raced. Why would Sephiroth do this?

"Because I can't hear her voice when I have control over you. Therefore, I have a clear conscience. Which means you have to be caged until she is dealt with. Otherwise I'll hear her voice again. So long as you don't fight me then you'll be free before you know it."

"What... What are you doing outside?" Cloud managed to ask. His friends. He needed to know his friends weren't going to be casualties. Flashes of what Sephiroth had done to Nibelheim came forth.

"That's none of your concern right now." Those green eyes narrowed. "Right now I want you to fully submit to me. Submit and allow me complete control."

Teeth bit and mark over Cloud's neck and shoulders. Somehow during their exchange the clothes disappeared. Or perhaps they were never there in the first place. No that didn't make sense, Sephiroth had been fully dressed.

Logic flew out the window as sharp teeth toyed with a nipple. Cloud gasped out, his back arching. His eyes met Sephiroth's, and his body felt like he was on fire from the primal heated gaze. Cloud couldn't break eye contact, not that he wanted to in the first place.

Just as Cloud felt like he was at his peak and about to cum Sephiroth pulled away. The blonde let out a high pitched whine he thought he wasn't capable of making. Pale lips tenderly kissed his cheek. Cloud turned his head to capture them in a hot kiss.

With the distraction Sephiroth repositioned their legs. Cloud gasped as his legs were spread apart. A hot tongue invaded his mouth and the blonde focused his attention on it. In the pure bliss it was shattered when Sephiroth thrusted inside of him.

Cloud screamed so loud his voice almost cracked. Somehow he found pleasure through the pain. Was that how he really felt or did Sephiroth have power over that too? He didn't have the time to reflect when Sephiroth moved. It felt like he was being torn in two, and so the noises he made were whimpers and pained gasps.

He felt Sephiroth shudder when he was fully in. Cloud's breath hitched at the strange feeling of being stretched full. It hurt but it was a good hurt. He wasn't sure if his brain was rationalizing the situation or not. Cloud opened his eyes to stare into those lust filled eyes. They were bright and intense as they watched him.

It made his heart dance to see Sephiroth so pleased that Cloud found he didn't mind the pain so much anymore. Sephiroth began a harsh and unrelenting pace. The echoes of their bodies in the cavern were loud, but not as loud as the cries of pleasure and pain mixed together. Cloud tried to raise his arms, but they were still pinned down by some unseen force. Somehow he found his voice.

"S... Sephiroth... Let me... Let me touch... You..." His pleas came out broken with each powerful thrust. "Please!"

Sephiroth studied him, taking in the sight. Blue eyes were glassy with tears, yet there was only lust in them. The moans and gasps held no hint of pain from the harsh treatment. Cloud made a beautiful picture like this. And thus he allowed his arms to move.

Cloud wasted no time soon as the weight lifted from his limbs he pulled Sephiroth closer. His arms wrapped around broad shoulders, one hand tenderly stroked silver strands. Sephiroth gasped at the feeling. His hair had always been sensitive to the touch, making cutting it so painful he would rather not be bothered to try.

As if he knew this Cloud was extra careful as he touched. Delicate fingers kneaded through and massaged. Sephiroth groaned at the ministrations. While Cloud wasn't his first lover, he was the first to ever dare touch his hair. It had been a strict rule Sephiroth laid down with each of his past lovers. The sensations almost made him want to come.

Between them the blonde's member was fully hard again. The throbbing cock was already leaking precum. Cloud was close despite the pain that's registering as pure bliss. With a snarl Sephiroth gripped blonde spikes and pulled. As Cloud released a yell and head yanked backwards he bit hard on the exposed neck, marking him. Sephiroth could taste the wet copper on his tongue and he lapped it up.

The blonde lost all ability to breathe as he came. His body tensed up at the powerful release. All of his muscles were taught so much his body trembled. His eyes were seeing but not seeing. Sephiroth groaned as the walls tightened around him. He was close and so his thrusts became erratic as he continued.

"Come, Sephiroth. Fill me. I am yours. Your..." Cloud trailed off as he became overwhelmed.

"Puppet." Sephiroth finished with a snarl, coming at the same moment. He felt the petite body beneath him spasm from the feeling of being filled. Cloud let out a long pretty moan.

Cloud felt his eyelids grow heavy again. He didn't have the strength to fight them as they closed. While the ground was cold around him Sephiroth's body was warm. The warmth put him in a state of content as sleep overcame him. Just before he succumbed to sweet slumber he heard Sephiroth's voice.

"Sleep, my sweet puppet. I'll take good care to make sure she won't ever have you. You're mine."


	25. Leash

Sephiroth awoke feeling pleasantly content. He blinked when he took in that he was in an all white room. This lead to the conclusion that the company found Cloud's body. He recalled how Genesis had been caught by Chaos during the escape.

Slowly he sat up to grimace. He wasn't used to this body. On top of that he felt every sting of leftover pain from what he did to Cloud inside the mental cage. It was odd that whatever happened inside that cage happened to the real body. Sephiroth reached up to where the worst of the stinging was.

It was the bite he made on Cloud's neck to push him over the edge. Sephiroth hummed softly as he remembered. It pleased him to know that Cloud would be marked as his forever.

Sephiroth glanced down on Cloud's body. He was dressed in a hospital gown. The sight made him cringe, recalling his childhood days. He took in his surroundings. It was a normal white room of ShinRa's. Was he in Midgar or Junon?

Just as he began to ponder whether he should walk around dressed as he was, the door slid open. Reno and Rude paused at the sight of him awake. Their bodies tensed as they realized the change in his eyes.

"Sephiroth." The redhead glared.

"Hoping to get Cloud? It might be a while until I relinquish him." Sephiroth smirked darkly.

"Why is that?" Reno narrowed his eyes.

"So he won't fall under her influence. And I can't hear her voice while I have control of this body. So, tell me, where am I? How much time has passed?"

"Junon. Tseng found you passed out and bloodied up in the wastelands. And it's been about two months since we found you." Rude explained.

"Why Junon instead of Midgar?" Sephiroth thought over the information. It had taken that long to make Cloud submit to him? Time was different between the mind and the outside world, it seemed.

"The president is here to see the completion of the cannon. So, ya gonna cooperate with us or go insane?"

"I have no intentions to destroy you. I know of the plan Cloud issued with Rufus. Will I be free to leave this room?"

"Not until after Tseng sees you."

"Then can I have some clothes in the meantime?" Sephiroth sighed, growing irritated with these two.

"Regular First Class uniform or your old one?" The image of Cloud wearing Sephiroth's usual uniform came to all of them, Reno was close to snickering.

"As comical as that would be, I am still in Cloud's body. So regular would do."

The pair left. A short time later only Reno returned with the basic black uniform of First Class SOLDIER. He tossed them onto the foot of the bed. Without a care whether the Turk was watching Sephiroth stood to change. He had grown used to anyone watching from his days under Hojo's labratory. Reno eyed the marks, particularly the one on the neck.

"The hell happened to you?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Sephiroth sent a knowing look at the Turk. He noticed how Reno shivered.

"Tseng will be here in a minute. Don't try anything." The redhead turned and left.

_Genesis?_ Sephiroth reached out to him. The former commander didn't respond, the connection cut off from his end.

He couldn't blame him. The last time he had spoken to Genesis he insisted him to kill Aerith. He had been influenced by Jenova during the fight for total control over Cloud. Sephiroth then tried Vincent and was met with the same block.

A few minutes later Tseng entered with a thin case in his hand. It was a carrying case to hold a laptop. The Turk's gaze hardened to see that the other pair hadn't been lying. Sephiroth greeted him with a smile. He noted how the Turk tensed as if ready to spring into action should Sephiroth try something.

"Relax, I have no intention to harm any of you. You lot are so easy to spook these days." Sephiroth chuckled.

"Considering your past history, can you blame us?" Tseng raised a brow.

"I suppose you have a point."

"Reno mentioned you know of the plan Cloud set in motion with the president. Do you happen to know the information Cloud intended to share with us?"

"I'm afraid I don't. And I have no intention to let him have control until Jenova is taken care of. Otherwise she would have influence over both of us."

"So then how is it she doesn't while you're in full control?" Tseng was suspicious.

"My theory is because he naturally can't be influenced by her. But soon as Cloud allowed me to take control to kill off the president, she somehow had her grip on us. It was only when I began to have more control over him, her voice grew distant."

"... I suppose we'll have no choice but to trust you. However, since you can't provide us Cloud's part of the deal, what do you have to offer in his stead?"

"You mean to tell me you won't let me have free roam?" Sephiroth frowned.

"You're a loose cannon. A wild card with no ties to anyone. Should she ever have influence over you again, who knows what sort of damage you will cause."

"How bold of you to assume you can keep me on a leash." Sephiroth narrowed his eyes. To his credit Tseng didn't flinch.

"This leash comes with a price should you try to break out of it." Tseng opened the case with the laptop. It folded open and the screen showed Zack pacing back and forth inside of a similar room Sephiroth was in. He immediately understood the threat.

Green eyes flashed at the Turk. In an instant Sephiroth had a hold of the black tie and pulled tight. Tseng dropped the laptop. The sound of it crashing echoed in the room. He was still taller than Cloud, so the pull of his tie wasn't too tight. But it was tight enough to be uncomfortable. A moment later Reno and Rude sprang through the door. Tseng held out a hand to hold them back.

"You dare." Sephiroth hissed. "I once admired you, Tseng. I considered you someone I could trust among the Turks. Now you hold one of my old comrades as hostage to ensure Cloud would hate me? How low even for you."

"The choice is yours what happens to him. To be fair, I'm not a fan of this either." Tseng admitted, straining to keep his voice even.

"Let me guess. This is Rufus' idea?" Really he shouldn't be surprised. Rufus was just as cunning and ambitious as his father. Tseng didn't verbally confirm, but his silence was answer enough.

Slowly Sephiroth released his grip on the tie. The Turk inhaled at the increase flow of air he could take in. Tseng readjusted the tie to better fit, all the while his eyes never left Sephiroth.

"What exactly does he want from me?"

"Since you can't provide us the information Cloud promised, then you can take up your old mantle again in the upcoming war."

Sephiroth watched them leave with a heated glare.


	26. Gain

It took nearly a week before Sephiroth was allowed out of his cage. With each passing day the Turks saw the dangers of keeping him locked up. So it was finally relented to allow him to roam with the promise to not leave Junon. And he had to be escorted around with either a Turk or a Third Class SOLDIER.

Sephiroth was displeased with Roche. He didn't hold up the honor of SOLDIER. Not that Sephiroth had anything to judge. Still to watch how Roche was bored and lazy irked him to no end.

"So... You're Sephiroth? In control of someone else's body?" Roche asked one day.

"They told you?" Sephiroth raised an eyebrow. Everyone had been calling him Cloud, and he had allowed it.

"I overheard the suits talking." The Third Class shrugged.

So he wasn't a complete useless idiot. Sephiroth had given him less credit than he had from first impression. Even so it didn't change his opinion of the man.

"So what if I am? It's not like you were in the military when I was around." He would have remembered this man's attitude and heavily reprimanded him for it. Even Zack matured enough to take his job seriously.

"Just wondering if you would like a dance? A cross of swords? I seek the thrill of a good match." Roche all but purred.

Sephiroth almost turned him down. He wasn't interested indulging such a meaningless request. Then he reconsidered. If he were to gain something in return, perhaps. Yes, he knew just what he wanted.

"Take me to Zack and I'll be happy to give you the thrill of a lifetime."

"Then follow me." He wasn't wasting any time. Sephiroth recalled how Roche was instructed to get clearance before taking him anywhere prohibited. Perhaps Roche's disregard for authority came in handy after all.

Some time later Roche brought him to a hallway with bars for doors. He stood beside the door that lead to the hallway and leaned against the wall. Roche was even being polite enough to give them privacy.

"You get ten minutes." Roche set the boundary. "I don't know how long until the suits figure us out."

Sephiroth wordlessly entered. The door slid open and closed behind him. At the sound a few individuals in the cells approached to see. He recognized Zack. The other two he had to recall from Cloud's interactions. Tifa and Barrett. Yes, the girl was the guide from Nibelheim. Barrett was the leader of AVALANCHE.

"Cloud!?" Tifa exclaimed.

Zack frowned, sensing something was off. Sephiroth noted that the other half of AVALANCHE members were missing. This worked in his favor to where the company didn't have their hands on Aerith and Vincent. But it did slow down the process of locating Jenova.

"I apologise to disappoint. But Cloud is asleep." Sephiroth made his way over to Zack's cell. His old lieutenant's eyes glared at him heatedly.

"What are you doing here?" Zack wanted to punch him.

"Are you asking what I'm doing here in this building, or what am I doing in control of Cloud?" Sephiroth shrugged. "I'm a prisoner just as you are, in mind and physically."

"The hell ya going on about?" Barrett grumbled. "You don't make no goddamn sense."

"I don't hear Jenova's voice while I have control of Cloud. So I'm staying until she's dealt with. As for why I'm here, they hold your lives over my head should I leave. Therefore, I am a prisoner to the company just as you are."

"Somehow I don't buy that you really care what happens to us." Zack crossed his arms.

"Not entirely, but I do care about Cloud. He would hate me for all eternity if I was responsible for your deaths."

"So what does that make Nibelheim?" Tifa demanded, glaring with searing hatred. "What you did, you think that was okay? How does Cloud forgive you for all of that!"

"I don't remember any of that. The last I recall was reading all the documents in the basement of the old mansion." Sephiroth was honest.

"And that's supposed to make us feel better? You almost killed me!" Zack hit the bars with a fist. "How am I supposed to put aside watching you destroy everyone without a care in the world?"

"If you want to blame someone, blame Jenova. I know you can hear her. Don't deny it. I sense her presence within you." Sephiroth was tired of all this. He had hoped to gain allies, but instead he really began to wonder if it was worth staying to ensure they remained alive.

"..." Zack bit his lip.

"Who the hell is this Jenova everyone's been talking about?"

"The Calamity. She nearly destroyed this planet long ago. Now she strikes again. And I know she intends to use either myself or Zack as her weapon to wipe out this planet."

"Then how do we put a stop to it all?" Tifa asked. She didn't trust his explanation, but it made a lot of things click in her head about how Zack and Cloud acted weird sometimes.

"If Zack accepts my help, I do have a plan to destroy her. But it requires the help from Vincent to locate her. The issue is to make him cooperate, as she is currently trying to gain control of his old lover's body."

"What does your help mean?"

"You'll be taking in Cloud's cells. You'll be similar to how Vincent and Genesis have a connection to him. But you won't hear Jenova's voice ever again."

Silence filled the hallway for a few long minutes. Sephiroth knew time was close to an end for him to remain here. At his own words his thought process went to another route.

"... I'm not sure if I trust you." Zack was hesitant.

"Think it over. In the meanwhile, I'll be plotting to get you lot out so I can finally be free of this leash they have on me." Sephiroth turned to make his way back to the door. A plan had begun to form from talking to them. It involved a simple form of infecting enough people to turn against Rufus ShinRa.

Cloud might not be pleased with the idea of a lot more to share a connection with, but it was lesser than the intent to leave ShinRa and allow them to kill off his friends. Sephiroth exited the hallway. Soon as the door closed behind him, he turned to the SOLDIER next to him.

"Roche. How about that dance of ours?" Sephiroth smirked. He already had his first target in mind.

"Let's play, general." Roche laughed excitedly.


	27. Dance

To play it safe Roche brought Sephiroth to a training room. It was similar to the one in Midgar where it was a simulation room. When it was activated Sephiroth was given the option to change his appearance to his original body.

He chose against it, for he wanted to get a good understanding how to fight in Cloud's body. In his hand Masamune appeared. Roche eyed it nervously.

"So, were you the one responsible for the unfortunate end of the old president?"

"Do you care if I was?" Sephiroth raised an eyebrow.

"No. Just making sure I know what I'm dealing with." Roche played a good poker face.

"I was once general of ShinRa, I don't believe it requires much imagination to understand who you're facing."

"I suppose, but your face and body is different." Roche pointed out.

Sephiroth had to give him that. For someone who never got the chance to be in the same field as the former General then it would be odd. He raised Masamune as he adjusted his stance. Cloud's legs were shorter than he was used to. However he was still strong enough to keep Sephiroth on his toes if they ever crossed swords.

He was curious to see how this Third Class SOLDIER held up.

Roche lunged forward. Sephiroth easily parried. In an instant the SOLDIER was to Sephiroth's side that wasn't being blocked. With surprise the general switched to block a slash. Roche's sword came close to his face. Masamune pierced the air with her song as she blocked. His eyes burned with malice.

"Got your attention now." Roche smiled a toothy grin.

"You will regret pushing me to my limits."

Sephiroth pushed as he turned fully to throw his opponent off balance. Roche backed off with shaken legs. It took a second to register he was shaking with excitement. Sephiroth advanced with inhuman speed. He expertly moved Masamune through the air at his target.

Roche could barely see the movements. But he managed to block each attack. He continued to back up as Sephiroth continued to advance. With each step Roche began to laugh. This fight was much better than the few times he challenged Zack. Sephiroth really lived up to his old title. It didn't matter if he was in another body, he was still the same.

Sephiroth smirked. This will be easier than he thought to make this target a puppet. Roche sought the thrill of a good fight with the threat of losing. It was all about the adrenaline to fight an opponent worthy to fight. It was the usual mindset of SOLDIERs, once they reached a level of strength anything that was considered too easy. They sought more dangerous levels of opponents, man or beast to satisfy their need to fight.

As Roche began to show the beginning of growing tired, Sephiroth paused to raise Masamune. His opponent took the opportunity to breathe as he steadied himself. Sephiroth aimed with intent.

"Cut," He lunged forward. Finally Masamune pierced flesh. Sephiroth took great joy to see Roche in pain as he slashed all over his body. Legs. Sides. Arms. One cut was a small one to the cheek. Sephiroth was so close now he could raise his blade to an exposed neck.

Roche surprised him with his own blade. The standard issue sword sliced Sephiroth's left shoulder. He grimaced at the stinging pain. Oddly enough it didn't hurt as well as it should have. With a swift motion he managed to make Roche let go of his weapon. Sephiroth raised his spare hand to the wound. Blood covered his glove, and in that moment he knew he had his opportunity.

In a flash he shoved the bloody fingers into Roche's mouth. The SOLDIER cried out, but in his panic he swallowed a bit of the copper fluid. Once it was done Sephiroth used his strength to send Roche down to the floor, hard. The sandy blonde SOLDIER shuddered as he remained there out of breath.

"What... What did you do...?" Roche could feel his body change from the inside. It made him feel strange. It was painful yet the tingles of pleasure hit in waves. It was numbing and frightening at the same time. Roche reached for his sword not too far away.

_Don't fight it and you'll be better off._ Sephiroth informed through the new connection. He straddled the younger SOLDIER, Masamune to his throat. Roche went still as a board. The slightest movement will allow Masamune to cut.

Sephiroth took this moment to admire the scene before him. Roche was being given a taste of his own medicine for being reckless. He certainly bit off more than he could chew. And that proved to be his downfall, which ended up to be Sephiroth's advantage.

Suddenly the simulation came to a halt. The illusion disappeared to a regular room. In an instant they were surrounded by Turks and troopers. Tseng pressed his gun at Sephiroth's head.

"What is the meaning of this?" The Turk demanded.

"Simple. Adrenaline junky wanted a fight of the lifetime. He pissed me off so I gave him what he wanted." Sephiroth shrugged, unfazed.

"Who the hell assigned him to watch you?" Tseng frowned at the squirming SOLDIER underneath Sephiroth.

Roche didn't answer. He glanced at Sephiroth and smiled. He caught onto what Sephiroth's plan. Roche started laughing like a maniac, playing the role assigned to him. Sephiroth smirked at the display. His reaction didn't go unnoticed.

Tseng roughly grabbed hold of Sephiroth's arms, forcing them behind his back. Sephiroth glared over his shoulder as he hissed in pain. His wound was still bleeding, although it had slowed down considerably. Sephiroth released his hold on Masamune. The blade clang on the floor, the sharpness barely missing Roche's head.

"You think I intentionally did this?" Sephiroth asked the Turk with a raised brow.

"You knew better than to indulge him." Tseng pulled him roughly towards the door. Sephiroth would have fought him, save for the fact Cloud's body registered the pain as pleasant. It was enough of a distraction for Sephiroth to not mind being manhandled.

"I'll handle him. You lot get him to medical." Tseng ordered the troopers.

"The hell was that all about?" The Turk's grip tightened, as if threatening to use pain as a means to get an answer.

"I told you already. He wanted a fight. I simply gave him what he wanted."

In a flash Tseng shoved Sephiroth against a wall. Against his will the former General let out a cry. It really was unfair how Cloud's body could register pain differently. When it concerned love making, it was a wonderful bonus. But being subjected to the methods of being questioned by the Turks? Major disadvantage.

He could sense Tseng noticed the new detail as well. He moved so he held pale wrists with one hand and raised his free arm. It pressed hard against the bloodied shoulder. Sephiroth tensed and he grit his teeth.

"What do we have here? It would seem Cloud is a masochist. You sure you want to continue being subjected to this kind of body?" Tseng questioned, trying to pressure him to leave.

"As if I will fall for that old trick." Sephiroth let out a breathy laugh. "No matter what you do, it won't work. And then you'll make yourselves the enemy in Cloud's eyes."

In other words, torture him to make him leave would most likely make Cloud turn against his own word. Then ShinRa would lose any chances of achieving their ultimate goal. At his words Tseng eased up on the pressure. Sephiroth relaxed against the Turk. He was more than relieved to not being made a fool of himself by being their new toy.

Growing uncomfortable by how close they were Tseng pulled away and guided Sephiroth away. The former General's legs were shaking as they were forced to walk. Even so he refused to stumble on his own feet. He wouldn't give the Turk that satisfaction.

"You're staying in your room until further notice." Tseng shoved him into the white cage.

Sephiroth only smirked at the Turk as the door closed between them. Really that ought of given Tseng red flags. Instead it made him wonder what the hell was wrong with the former General.

_From here I don't need to be outside to gain an army. Roche will do it all for me._


	28. Influence

Rufus studied the recordings of the match between Sephiroth possessed Cloud against Roche. He had been curious to see how Sephiroth would fight in another person's body. In doing so, he caught a rather peculiar detail.

"Stop." He said. Tseng paused the video.

"Playback ten seconds."

He did. It was the moment Sephiroth had slammed Roche into the floor.

"Again. Slow motion." Rufus instructed.

Tseng did so. And it was then that everyone in the room saw what Rufus had seen. Sephiroth had jammed his bloodied fingers into Roche's mouth. Tseng had paused the video again.

"What is the status of Roche?" Rufus inquired.

"Currently stable and about to be discharged in thirty minutes."

"Keep a close eye on him for any unusual changes. If he is planning something I want it nipped in the bud."

"What should we do about Sephiroth in the meantime?"

"For now, same as before. This time I don't want any SOLDIER to supervise. However I do want them to be on call should he start something. Tseng, I trust you to take over watching him from now on. He seems to respect you the most out of us."

"Yes, Sir." Tseng wasn't so sure, considering the day Sephiroth held him by his own tie. He had reduced his time to escort Sephiroth around as he wandered outside of his room.

_It seems I don't have much of a choice._ Tseng wondered if he should mention his suspicions that Sephiroth was plotting something. Strangely he couldn't bring the words out.

Tseng left to tend to his new assignment.

xXx

Zack paced his cell. He had grown more and more anxious since Sephiroth visited. It disturbed him how he would take over Cloud and say he cared for him deeply. It didn't make any sense in his head to rationalize the general's reasoning.

**_There is a way to separate them._** A flash of a headache started.

_Go away. You're evil._ Zack shook his head in the hopes to drive her out.

**_I merely want what you want. I want Sephiroth and Cloud separated._**

_And how is that possible?_ Zack stopped, biting his lip.

**_A black materia. All you have to do is take it from Genesis. Then bring it to Sephiroth's real body, trapped inside a mako crystal. Then he will awaken, and be forced out of Cloud's body. _**

Zack crossed his arms, thinking. He mulled over the options Sephiroth and Jenova presented. Thus far Sephiroth has been the one to bring pain and chaos. However he claims Jenova was responsible.

His head hurt trying to figure out which was the lesser evil. Yet he couldn't stop thinking about how the results between them were drastically different. And it annoyed him to no end that he really couldn't find it within himself to trust Sephiroth.

_So then, how to get out of here?_

Zack's answer came the next day. Alarms went off. An announcement was made that there was an attack by a winged figure. Zack doubted it was Vincent, so it had to be Genesis. Once again he considered the idea Jenova presented to him.

Due to the alarms and safety procedures the cells unlocked and opened automatically. Without another word the three of them made a run for it to escape.

They ended up lost in the maze of the building. A lot of changes had been made to it since the last time Zack had been here, so he wasn't a great help navigating. They entered a hallway to meet a familiar face.

"You!?" Zack reached for the handle of his sword.

"Now, now, take it easy. You lost? Well, you just made my job easier. Come on, you wanna get out right?" Roche motioned them to follow.

Zack looked at his companions. They all shrugged and decided might as well. It wasn't like they had any better options. They weren't looking for a run in with any of the Turks.

Roche lead them to the outside. Just down the street they caught sight of familiar red cape, red feline and pink dress. They approached another familiar pair, a Turk and certain possessed blonde. Zack ran full speed towards them.

"Aerith, watch out!"

Too late, Sephiroth held Vincent in a vice like grip on his throat. In an instant Masamune was held to Aerith's throat. Tseng held his gun at Cloud's head, however Sephiroth was unfazed. He kept his focus on the crimson caped man.

"I'm done being nice. Tell me where she is." Sephiroth glared coldly. A golden claw grabbed at the wrist holding him, but even as the sharp fingers dug in and blood dripped to the ground Sephiroth wouldn't let go. Instead he laughed. His eyes danced a strange excitement in them.

"Pain isn't registered with Cloud's body. Your attempt is useless. Now. Tell. Me." Ever so gently Masamune was pressed enough to almost cut Aerith.

"A cave... Between Nibel... Gold Saucer..." Vincent gasped out.

"Now that wasn't so hard, was it?" Sephiroth released him and removed his blade away from Aerith.

No longer in danger of his friends being hurt by Sephiroth, Zack continued rushing forward. His hand gripped the handle of his sword. Zack leaped into the air and swung with all his might. Sephiroth only had the time to glance up. He wouldn't be able to reposition his sword to not accidentally cause harm to any of the people around him.

A red rapier intervened. Zack saw red. He then turned his focus on Genesis. He swung with powerful strikes and slashes. The former commander was forced to back away on the defense. Around them Turk and AVALANCHE members were beyond confused how to go about this situation.

"He's under her influence!" Sephiroth informed Genesis.

"Well no shit!" Genesis cursed. His distraction caused Zack to send him flying into a wall. There was a loud crack of bones breaking from the impact. Sephiroth ran to cover for him, but Zack was faster.

He reached for something in the red coat and pulled out a black materia. Masamune sang as she was aimed for Zack's hand. In an instant a robed figure appeared out of nowhere. Distracted by the sudden appearance Sephiroth stopped.

"Reunion... Reunion... Reunion..." The figure chanted.

The word had a resounding effect. A headache flashed through his head, and Sephiroth had to focus to not allow her to penetrate his mental walls. How was she able to do this? He hadn't been able to hear her at all up until this point.

The figure released a black smoke and just like that he and Zack disappeared. Headache gone Sephiroth glared at Genesis.

"Take me to my body." Sephiroth eyed the wounds and injured wing. "Once you're done healing."

"Such gratitude for saving your ass. You haven't changed a bit." Genesis chuckled.

"Ever the dramatic diva. You're still an outright bastard."

Tseng raised a hand to the bridge of his nose. The banter between these two took him back to the old days. He supposed some things wouldn't change no matter how much time has passed.

"I suggest you set off like I never saw you." Tseng turned to AVALANCHE.

"Do you intend to intervene Zack or destroy Jenova first?" Vincent inquired Sephiroth.

"My body, obviously. I know his intentions. If he succeeds, I won't be able to fight her off."

"Then have me come with."

"For what purpose?" Sephiroth raised a brow, suspicious.

"Genesis isn't enough to stop you if Zack succeeds."

"... By your judgment then you won't be able to either."

"Then why not all of us? Together. Zack and Cloud are our friends, too." Aerith stepped forward. Determination was clear in her deep green eyes.

"You don't hold it against me? For what I did?"

"You didn't have to go to drastic measures, but I know you mean well. So, we doing this together or not?" Aerith eyed each of them.

"Aw, hell. We came this far. We wouldn't be here without Zack. Or Cloud."

"If it means it gets Sephiroth to stop controlling Cloud, I'm in."

"The more the merrier." Genesis sighed as Aerith knelt down to heal him. He watched her. "You know you remind me of the Goddess."

"I have no idea what you mean." Once she was done she turned to Sephiroth. "So, will you accept our help?"

"... I suppose." Sephiroth didn't like the idea of being slowed down. He turned to Tseng. "One last little favor?"

"... You better make this worth it."


	29. Fear

"Ya gotta be fucking serious." Reno stared. Tseng's secret assignment for Reno and Rude had been very vague. Now they understood why.

"I'm out. I'll meet you all there." Genesis had no love for the Turks. Before anyone could respond he spread his wing out and took flight.

"Could have left a long time ago if you were going to fly." Sephiroth frowned, not realizing he spoke out loud.

"So now we're all allies in this weird turn of events or something?" Reno tried to process all of this.

"For the time being. But I hope we can all be on good terms even after this." Aerith giggled. She reached for Cloud's hand, not bothered at all that Sephiroth was the one in control. "This one is a big softie on the inside."

"..." Sephiroth had no idea how to respond.

"Tch. Yeah. Real softie that one." The redhead rolled his eyes. He resisted the urge to vomit. Sephiroth wasn't exactly well liked, he had seen first hand what he could do.

"What exactly is our destination?" Rude asked the group.

"Give me a map." Sephiroth knew it would be better if he marked the coordinates.

Reno pulled out his phone with a sigh. He opened up the global map that helped the Turks locate their destination. Not really trusting Sephiroth the Turk held it out for him to pick the destination. Sephiroth found the area within no time.

Reno glanced at his phone. He looked up with a frown.

"That's in the middle of nowhere."

"I know. Perfect to hide a body inside a large mako crystal."

"If you're so sure. Come on, it's gonna be quite a flight to get there."

Reno and Rude decided it was best they flew two helicopters for the journey. While they could possibly squeeze all in one, Red was considered a slight problem with space. So despite how it would raise an alarm that two helicopters were miscounted for, the Turks knew this would be easiest to transport them.

It was well into the night when they reached the coordinates. To Reno's surprise, they were closing in on a huge solid crystal of mako. The glow lit up the night as they approached. Below they caught sight of two people.

"So this is where Hojo scurried off to." Reno mumbled.

At the mention of the professor responsible for a lot of pain and suffering Vincent leaned closer to a window to see. Yes, he could make out the white coat and unmistakable long black hair that was greying. Next to him was Zack. At their feet laid an unconscious figure. The red coat and black wing was all they needed to know who it was.

As the aircraft began to descend and hover close by Sephiroth wasted no time. He opened the latch and jumped. Vincent followed seconds after. They landed unhurt as they landed. Sephiroth had Masamune at the ready while Vincent took aim.

Zack dodged, running full speed towards the crystal. In the center was Sephiroth's body, deep asleep. As the rest of AVALANCHE joined the Ex-SOLDIER placed the black materia into Sephiroth's hand. Somehow his arm went through the solid mako, the small area became liquid but still held it's form. The pale hand grasped the materia instinctively.

"No...!" Sephiroth tried to resist.

**_It's useless to fight, my son._**

The mako glowed brighy. Cloud's body collapsed as Sephiroth was forced back into his own. Green eyes opened with a cold glare. In an instant Masamune pierced through Zack's stomach. Once Sephiroth stepped out of the mako he sent his former lieutenant flying.

"I..." Sephiroth struggled to fight against her. "Refuse!"

Tifa ran to Cloud while Aerith rushed to Zack. The rest of AVALANCHE split up respectively with the two girls. Tifa pulled Cloud up in her lap. Behind her Barrett and Vincent had her back.

"Cloud? Cloud! Wake up!" Tifa begged him.

Inside his cage, Cloud heard her voice. The weight Sephiroth had over him was gone. Was he free? Something was wrong. Tifa was in a panic. Why was that? Cloud blinked open his eyes. His first sight was Tifa's relieved face as she cried upon seeing his deep blues instead of frightening green.

"Tifa? What's... Happening?" Cloud had a major headache. He sat up the rest of the way and shook his head.

"Finally... My greatest creation is complete!" Hojo was beyond ecstatic.

At his words Cloud whirled around. He froze upon seeing Sephiroth. He was fighting against a straining mental battle against Jenova. Cloud stood on wobbled legs and ran. Catching sight of him, Masamune was raised. The arm that held the sword shook violently as Sephiroth resisted.

"Cloud!"

His battle to fight her off was lost. Masamune pierced through Cloud. He coughed up blood. He didn't feel pain. However it didn't feel pleasurable either. Cloud gripped the blade and with all his strength he lifted Sephiroth into the air. Jenova was both impressed and taken by surprise.

"How can you possibly be...?"

Cloud sent him flying. He managed to keep hold of the blade. It felt wrong as he gripped the handle, since he had just been stabbed by it. Sephiroth crashed into the mako crystal. There was a loud crack. Then the telltale sound of something heavy about to fall.

Despite the danger the blonde rushed forward. While Sephiroth was stunned a large piece of mako was falling straight for him. Masamune and bullets shattered the huge shard. Pieces scattered like small solid raindrops. Above another huge shard began to split.

"No! This can't be the end!" Hojo was in a panic.

Cloud reached Sephiroth. He positioned Masamune where one end was at Sephiroth's throat while Cloud leaned forward so the base was at his own. Sephiroth stilled, Jenova watching through his eyes.

"You want me, right? Leave them alone. Especially her. You won't touch her. Should you so much as think about killing her, I'll rip you to shreds, bitch."

"The hell ya doing blondie!?"

The others began to protest. Zack had finally come to his senses, released from Jenova's hold. He groaned as he sat up. Zack grit his teeth. He had heard the whole thing. He sat up and looked over at the scene in a confused daze.

"Deal."

Cloud let go of Masamune. His body lost a lot of blood. Shock was beginning to set in. The blonde collapsed, coughing and gasping. Sephiroth reached for him just as the mako split in half. One half went down towards them. A black wing from Sephiroth's right shoulder spread. With Cloud in his arms Sephiroth took flight.

As they ascended into the night sky Cloud pulled him in for a kiss. As if by memory or instinct Sephiroth shoved his tongue into his mouth. In their heads Jenova screamed. Cloud pulled away and laughed. Sephiroth faltered, suddenly they were falling. The black wing flapped but didn't know which direction to go as Jenova fought for control.

A red cape engulfed the pair before they crash landed into a forest.


	30. Revelations

Sephiroth awoke with a start. His dream had been undeniably downhill spiral nightmare. He raised a hand to his forehead. Sephiroth blinked as he recognized his hand instead of Cloud's.

_So it wasn't a dream._

He took in his surroundings. Where were they? They were in a dense forest. The trees blocked off the moonlight. But even without the light of the moon Sephiroth could still see. At his side was Cloud, pale and asleep. Sephiroth checked over the wound he had caused while under Jenova's control.

It had healed, but Cloud's skin was cold to the touch. Sephiroth felt guilt well up inside. This was his fault. It didn't matter if he was under Jenova's control. It was still his hand that wielded the blade that stabbed him.

He heard the softest movement behind him.

Sephiroth whirled around with a punch. His arm was blocked by a golden claw. The wrist guards clang against the gold metal. The sound echoed eerily through the forest. Sephiroth glared into deep red eyes.

"I understand why you don't have any fondness for me." Vincent spoke softly.

"All of this could have been avoided if you gave me the information sooner." Sephiroth snarled.

"You look like her."

He stared. Not only was it a completely different choice of conversation but it also took a minute to process what he meant.

"You... You knew her? My real mother?"

"We... Had an affair. She was married to Hojo. And I was a Turk assigned to guard her from Chaos. She cut it off when she couldn't handle the guilt. And shortly after, I was fused with Chaos."

"So she really was married to Hojo?" He had found it hard to believe anyone would actually marry the man.

"Yes. From there Hojo took over the experiments of me. And I watched her pregnancy. She would talk to me, not realizing I was aware of what's happening. She told me what she wanted to name you."

"..." Sephiroth was at a loss for words.

"And then she started having visions. Visions of ending the world. She believed she would avoid it by killing herself. So she left after she gave birth to you, but not before telling me where she was going."

"That's how Cloud knew you would know. But why didn't he know from the beginning if he had all of Jenova's memories?"

"Because the bitch blocked that part out." Cloud mumbled.

The other two turned their gazes towards him. The blonde slowly sat up, leaning against Sephiroth for support. An arm wrapped around his waist to steady him. He shivered upon realizing how cold he was compared to Sephiroth.

"She wouldn't let me see the full memory. But I had a hunch Vincent would remember."

"Why didn't you ask him in the first place?"

"Oh like that will go over well. Let's start with oh hey, I have all the memories of those Jenova possessed, including your former lover you had an affair with? Everything except for one little detail, like where she was going to go die. Care to share with me what she said?" Cloud was blushing just as deep as Vincent's cape.

He was careful not to accidentally share the mental image from the memories with anyone he had a connection with. The silence met after his words was enough of an answer. Cloud wanted to shrivel up and die. Instead he opted for pushing himself further against Sephiroth, as if he would magically disappear.

"... Point." The Ex-Turk knew if he had been asked that, he wouldn't have given him the answer.

"So you took a chance without even fully knowing if Vincent remembered?"

"Well... Yeah. It would have taken too long just to wander around if she sprang a plan to awaken you."

"Then why have a connection with him in the first place if you couldn't simply ask?"

"Actually, I woke up from my coma and I already could sense him and Genesis. I didn't really question that. I know I am part of the reason why Genesis didn't die."

The pair looked up at Vincent. He hesitated a long moment.

"... Genesis initiated first."

"Together?" Sephiroth raised an eyebrow. It came as a surprise to him.

"I don't think we need to go into detail. It's not as exciting in comparison to you two."

"Where are we by the way?" Cloud glanced around, doing his best not to picture them together. He tried to reach out to Genesis. In doing so the former commander awoke.

_I suppose you succeeded? Fucking dog nearly tore my wing off._ Genesis wasn't very happy.

_You okay?_ Cloud inquired.

_I'll be fine. What's your status?_

_Somewhere in a forest with Sephiroth and Vincent._ Cloud relayed. By now the other two opened up their minds to the fourth.

_I see you're sane._ Genesis commented darkly.

_Well aren't you so sweet my teeth are rotting._

_Good I hope they get yanked out._

"Are they always like this?" Vincent looked at Cloud.

"They're like cats and birds. Annoying each other without actually killing." The blonde observed.

_What's happening with the others? Are you alone?_ The Ex-Turk remembered AVALANCHE.

_They're here camping. I don't see the stupid ShinRa aircraft so the Turks left._

_What is Zack's condition?_ Cloud was anxious for his best friend's fate.

_The dog is asleep._

_Can you stop calling him that? He's my best friend._

_He's an overgrown puppy, what else is that supposed to be?_

_Can we just focus on what we need to do next?_ Sephiroth interrupted before an argument started.

_Which is what again?_ Genesis deadpanned.

_Destroying the last host body of Jenova._ Cloud looked up to Vincent.

"I'm sorry." He whispered softly.

Vincent stared into his eyes. He could see genuine guilt and concern. The Ex-Turk sighed.

"... If it prevents Jenova from having her, then it would be best. She would want to die as a human instead of becoming the Calamity."

"How many of us are going?" Sephiroth asked all of them.

"It would be best if it's just a small number of us. Then we can just fly there."

_Vincent doesn't have full control over Chaos to fly._ Genesis pointed out.

"Actually, he says if it's to oversee Jenova being wiped out, then he will fly there."

"I hope that means he won't harm the rest of us afterwards." Sephiroth glared coldly. His hand tightened around Cloud's waist.

"He assures me he won't."

"Then let's go."


	31. Toxic

Cloud was in awe. He never had the chance to admire how they all flew. Chaos was fast and agile with his leather wings. Genesis had power to his long wing as it didn't need to flap as much to keep up. And then there was Sephiroth's wing.

It was a new development not even Sephiroth knew. To Cloud it reminded him of a black swan. Beautiful. Strong. Regal. It suited Sephiroth perfectly. In a way all of their wings suited their personalities just right.

It made Cloud's heart ache that he didn't have wings.

The travel took nearly all day. It was well into the night when they finally caught sight of the waterfall with a cave behind it. They landed with clear exhaustion. The group had flown the entire distance without any breaks.

Genesis was the worst off, staggering as if he was earning his sea legs on a ship. Chaos landed with a loud thump and immediately switched back to Vincent without a fight. He had spent all of his energy for the flight here. Lastly Sephiroth faltered as he landed on his feet. However he kept himself steady so he wouldn't drop Cloud.

"Should we rest or dive right in and get this over with?" Cloud studied them. Even though he didn't have wings he was just as tired as them.

"If I try to fight now, I'm going to vomit." Genesis glared at them. "I might share your cells, Cloud, but I'm not entirely the same as you three."

"I feel..." Sephiroth was in a daze. Despite Cloud's protection he could still hear her.

From her pull Cloud felt it, too. He looked up at Sephiroth, noticing the slightest change in his eyes that trapped him in place. She was pushing her will for him to surrender and become his puppet. He felt his knees grow weak as he found it hard to resist.

"Snap out of it." Vincent reached for Sephiroth's shoulder.

Cloud finally breathed and felt his chest constrict. He had seen visions of the destruction of the planet, and in the aftermath it traveled the cosmos in search for a new one to create the Promised Land. It was almost too beautiful to deny that outcome.

"I guess we shouldn't wait then if she's so desperate." Genesis hadn't seen the visions or heard her call.

"Why are you immune to her? I understand Vincent because of Chaos, but what does that make you?" Cloud found his voice.

"I met the Goddess. After being injected with your cells, it sent my body into shock because I was in an advanced stage. And then I met her. She gifted me with life, naming me her champion." Genesis explained, his voice growing fond as he spoke about her.

"She's real? Perhaps there is some truth in the poetry you're so fond of." Sephiroth blinked in amazement.

"We should hurry." Vincent urged them.

Weary from their travels, they continued onward despite the exhaustion holding over their bodies. The second they entered the cave the atmosphere changed. A heavy weight was in the air, as the cold seeped through the skin into the very bones.

Sephiroth took the lead to navigate through the maze of pathways. He felt her calling and thus followed to the source. His three companions watched him with critical eyes, watching for any signs of him succumbing to her lies.

Finally when it felt endless they found her.

In a column of a glowing mako crystal was the body of a woman. Her white coat exceeded her short dress. Her long brown hair held in a high ponytail. She seemed so peaceful in her slumber inside. It was difficult to believe she was alive.

As they drew closer Sephiroth willed forth Masamune. Yet before he could swing he paused. He now had a good look of her and was transfixed. He now knew what Vincent meant. This was the woman who gave birth to him.

"Mother..." Her grip on him cut deeper.

Cloud reached for him. The second he tried pain seared through his head. It hurt so much he screamed. His hands gripped on either side of his head and he staggered, doubling over as he struggled to breathe.

His cries of pain brought enough of clarity to Sephiroth for he made two quick motions with his blade. He split the mako crystal above her head and below her feet. The crystal shattered into a million pieces like shards of glass.

Sephiroth raised Masamune with one more strike. As she fell her eyes opened. A loving smile formed on her face. He couldn't bring himself to make the final blow. Cloud summoned all of his strength and wrapped his arms around Sephiroth's waist.

Taking the initiative Genesis swung his crimson blade. Before his blade could pierce her side Masamune sang her song. It was the only warning before the long blade interrupted the attack.

"No!" Cloud tried to pull on Sephiroth's arm. He was pushed away hard. The blonde landed hard on the cold rock at their feet. He looked up to see her standing over him. She held out a delicate hand to him.

**_Will you accept my offer, child? It would be a shame to lose you._**

In a flash Genesis changed targets to the silver General. His attacks were slower than usual. Even so his eyes burned with determination. He raised his spare arm and activated the fire within. The Goddess had also gifted him with the flames of destruction and rebirth.

With a swift motion he sent flames at her direction. Sephiroth raised an invisible shield to protect her. She tilted her head at Genesis, regarding him with a curious expression.

Cloud reached out to the planet with his connection as a lab created Cetra. He prayed for the strength to fight her. The planet was hesitant, knowing he wasn't a true Ancient. Cloud felt another presence and he knew it was Aerith helping his prayer with her own power.

The blonde felt the planet respond to his call under Aerith's will and gifted him a unique broadsword in his grasp. The metal felt light in his hands, yet he could tell it was made of the strongest material for a weapon. This blade was what he needed.

He inhaled. When Cloud exhaled he was on his feet and raised his sword. His attack was blocked by Masamune. Sephiroth was unrelenting as he focused on Cloud. The blonde backed up as he was forced to be on the defense.

Vincent and Genesis moved to help him.

"I'll handle him! Take care of her!" Cloud ordered.

"Such arrogance Cloud. Can you really resist me?" Sephiroth's voice was so tempting. His smirk sent shivers.

"The sooner you accept our Reunion, the easier it will be." Her voice was heavenly.

Cloud couldn't breathe. His body felt like lead. Up until this point he had been able to resist her. But when she had Sephiroth under her control Cloud found he had a harder time to resist him. She was using his one and only weakness.

Sane or otherwise Cloud was addicted to Sephiroth.

Then in the distant reaches of the Lifestream he heard the cries of his own mother. Images of his childhood home burning flashed in front of him. How did he forget? How could he forget?

Hatred and fury filled his heart. Gritting his teeth Cloud pushed back. His will to resist caught Sephiroth and Jenova off guard. And suddenly the silver General was on the defense. However he wasn't budging from where he stood.

Since Cloud was now able to hold his own against Sephiroth, Vincent and Genesis turned their focus on her. She frowned at the pair. Her gaze settled on Vincent.

"You would kill me? After everything we have been through my love?"

Vincent hesitated. He remembered. But he knew before him wasn't Lucretia anymore. His heart had moved onto another. Realizing that she couldn't reach him she glared coldly at Genesis.

"I would apologise, my dear. But you're not worth it after all the pain and suffering you have caused." He raised his arm for another fire attack.

She took a step back. The shield Sephiroth had raised was gone. She glanced over to her son and panicked when she saw that he was too far away, too focused on enjoying crossing swords with his lover.

"Sephiroth!" She yelled.

He stopped. Sephiroth looked over his shoulder just in time to see her body burn. She let out a horrible scream that echoed within the cave. The scream was followed by gunshots that pierced her heart and head. The body collapsed as the flames consumed flesh and bone.

A clang of the broadsword on the cave floor Cloud collapsed with an ear splitting scream of his own. She was trying desperately to take control of his body. He felt the pain in his chest and head to match the bullets. His skin felt like he burned.

Released from her hold Sephiroth knelt to pull the writhing blonde into his lap. His touch was enough to somewhat make Cloud snap out of it. But in his panic he raised an arm to strike, not realizing who held him. A familiar hand gripped his wrist and Cloud stilled.

His eyes opened to meet green. Love and affection danced in that gaze. Slowly it brought Cloud to reality and separated him with the identity of Jenova. His lungs hurt from his panicked gasps. Cloud swallowed dryly as he forced himself to slow his breathing down.

"Sephiroth..." He whispered, voice cracking.

"It is done Cloud. She's gone."


	32. Perfect

Vincent spread the word of the unfortunate demise of Cloud and Sephiroth shortly after he took care of his revenge on Hojo. He didn't admit it to anyone who questioned him, but he instead exchanged information of Cloud and Sephiroth. In truth they were both very much alive, but there was a reason for the world to think otherwise.

"So will you uphold your bargain with the company?" Sephiroth asked Cloud as the four of them exited the cave.

"What bargain?" Genesis frowned.

"Showing them how to get to the Promised Land you mean? Actually, I lied. It was a bluff so they would leave Aerith alone. And it was enough of an incentive to put the seeds of change within Rufus."

"And he actually fell for it? Impressive."

"Then it would be best they don't know where you are. Both of you." Vincent eyed Cloud and Sephiroth.

"Say whatever you want to the company. I have no plans to return to them after taking care of her." Cloud didn't care what the Ex-Turk would say to them. "I feel so tired."

"Then let us go into hiding for the time being. Take this chance to recover from all of this." Sephiroth suggested.

"I'd really like that." The blonde smiled fondly at his lover.

And so the pair left for their own destination. Vincent and Genesis returned to AVALANCHE first with the fake news. Aerith had a knowing look on her face, but otherwise didn't object what they said. She was more relieved that Zack was finally himself without the threat of being under Jenova's spell.

Rufus ShinRa wasn't all too happy of the news. But supposed it couldn't be helped. Tseng however, had his doubts. But like Aerith he didn't bring up his theories. If they were alive then he could understand why they wanted nothing to do with the company.

AVALANCHE was no longer a threat when Rufus changed the source of energy. There was a public outcry for this, but Rufus remained firm of his decision. Behind the scenes he worked with AVALANCHE to help find other sources of energy so they could completely transition off of mako energy.

It was Barrett who struck gold and found a huge oil deposit. This was enough for the company to switch over entirely. The mako reactors were shut down permanently. The planet hummed in joy, but only a selective few could hear it. And they cherished the sweet sound of victory.

Meanwhile the pair laid low. The first thing Cloud did was sleep. His mind and body ached. Sephiroth watched over him. He would occasionally wake Cloud up to make him eat. Exhaustion overtook the blonde again when he was done and slept in Sephiroth's embrace.

He didn't know how long he was like this. But eventually he awoke feeling refreshed. Next to him Sephiroth stirred, and Cloud moaned. He could sense how aroused his lover was through the bond. The blonde moved so he was straddling Sephiroth. Green eyes watched with surprise and satisfaction.

"How long?" Cloud gasped out.

"Too long." Sephiroth smirked, sending shivers down the blonde's spine.

Cloud took the hint and reached to grasp the throbbing cock and guided it to his entrance. He closed his eyes with a groan at the intrusion. His body still registered pain weird, but he could still feel the sting of being entered. Pale hands guided his hips down.

Sephiroth pulled him down faster than what Cloud initially was lowering himself. A cry escaped his lips and his back arched. The blonde opened his eyes, staring into the ceiling. Why was it so hard to breathe? Without so much as a second thought Sephiroth began to move.

"Move with me," His voice was so hypnotic when aroused.

Taking in big gulps of air to steady himself Cloud began to move. His hips were unsteady at first, but with the guiding hands it didn't take him long to get the hang of this position. Cloud moaned as he set a faster pace. Below him Sephiroth watched with hungry eyes.

When Cloud found his spot his body jerked as he let out a high pitched cry. His body almost lost balance. A hand grabbed hold of his wrist to hold him steady. The hand that held his wrist was gentle, reminding him of the night Sephiroth did the same thing to snap him out of Jenova's hold.

Cloud glanced down to meet bright green eyes dancing with lust. He let out a whimper when that gaze alone almost sent him over the edge. Instead he focused on moving harder at his spot. In doing so his body tensed tighter around the throbbing cock with each thrust.

Sephiroth groaned, finally losing his facade. His hand moved so fingers intertwined. Cloud's smaller hand held on tightly. He knew the blonde was close and yet he still focused on pleasing Sephiroth first. It brought him back to the days when Cloud was recovering from his mako poisoning.

Suddenly Cloud's hips faltered as he threw his head back. A long moan escaped him while he came, his release spilling over Sephiroth's stomach. Impossibly tighter, Sephiroth pushed himself upwards to claim those pretty lips.

Cloud opened his mouth to surrender without a fight. The taste of him made his skin tingle. Sephiroth pulled away in surprise as the hot body fully leaned against him. Cloud willingly put himself into a trance to become his puppet.

With a swift motion Sephiroth switched their positions so he was on top. He grasped a muscled leg and spread it wider. The noises Cloud made were a higher pitch than before. Sephiroth groaned at the sight below him. Cloud really would make a pretty woman. But he was perfect the way he is.

Sephiroth claimed a perk nipple. Teeth and tongue were unrelenting while his hips moved erratically. The sounds Cloud made were heavenly. Between their bodies his member was fully hard again and leaking precum.

_Come for me, puppet._

Cloud obeyed. His body trembled violently with this release, being overly sensitive and overwhelmed. His mouth agape with a soundless cry. Cloud's walls tightened and swallowed Sephiroth whole, not willing to let him go. Sephiroth gasped at the feeling. It sent him over the edge and he moaned softly as he let go.

Their bodies stilled. Both laid there trying to catch their breath. Sephiroth recovered enough to release his hold over Cloud. The blonde whimpered as his mind fully came back together. Instinctively his muscles tensed again and his hips rolled with his moans.

Sephiroth bit at the inviting collar bone and Cloud stilled. It was the only warning he could give before a second wave of release overtook the silver General. Nails dug into his shoulders and back.

_Sephiroth._ The blonde couldn't force his mouth to move.

"Cloud," He responded out or breath. "So perfect. It's as if you were made specifically for me."

Blue eyes met green. Cloud was too transfixed to form a reply. Instead his hand gently kneaded through silver strands and pulled him into a kiss. It was answer enough for the both of them.

_You are mine. My perfect puppet._

_Yes, Sephiroth._


End file.
